Shiroyuki Ouji
by anthropomorphychan
Summary: Shikamaru was a traditionalist. He believes in the idea of the man asking the woman out and not the other way around. He believes in chivalry and treating his woman like a queen. And he certainly does not appreciate being treated like a princess by the girl he is secretly crushing on. Even if it was only for a play.
1. One: Luck of the draw

**Title: **Shiroyuki Ouji

**Summary: **Shikamaru is a traditionalist. He believes in the idea of the man asking the woman out and not the other way around. He believes in chivalry and treating his woman like a queen. And he certainly does not appreciate being treated like a princess by the girl he is secretly crushing on. Even if it was only for a play.

**Genre: **Humor

**Disclaimer: **If only … _/sighs/_

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**Shiroyuki Ouji**

_Anthropomorphichybrid_

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_**Chapter One – Luck of the draw**_

Shikamaru Nara stood still in the fringes of Team Ten's training grounds with his right palm opened skyward. His body was slouched in his usual fashion, left hand tucked in his pants pocket. Face blank and lids shut mid eye, his easy posture seemed to exude disinterest towards the general cacophony that surrounded him. If not for the slight downwards twitch of his lips and the slow knot forming on his forehead, none would be the wiser about the inner turmoil occurring within Konoha's young genius.

A scowl soon displaced the previously apathetic expression on his face.

_Absurd._ He thought to himself. _This is absurd. _

His eyes darted back down at the scrap piece of paper in his hand, eyebrows scrunching in distaste. Nothing's changed.

The grounds were filled with his friends, his fellow genin graduates back from the days of skipping classes, or napping in them. They were chattering around him. Sandaled feet scuffing against the well-used earth as each compared the pieces of paper they received. While some were mumbling, and a few even grumbling, at most part, the responses veered towards the 'positively ecstatic'. His ears twitched at the sound of a distinctly 'piggish' laugh at the far corner of the grounds.

The scowl on his face deepened further.

There was nothing particularly amazing or unique about the piece of paper in his hand. In fact, the piece was but a part of many sections cruelly severed from a larger page by a rapturous Ino Yamanaka.

_Ino_. The mere thought of the name irked him beyond what he thought was possible. His eyes flicked up and latched itself to the female blonde whose hog-like snorts of joy made him want to pour cement over his ears. Eyes narrowing into slits, he wished with all his might that he could reduce her into cinders with just his sight – and then maybe his dilemma could be solved.

Nothing. Not even a hint of rising smoke.

_Oh, who am I kidding?_

A self-deprecating snort of derision wheezed out of him.

_Between her over-protective father, my own father and Chouji's, not to mention all our mothers … I'd be dead meat before I could harm a single strand on her perfect little blonde head. _

Right hand clenched unconsciously while he combed his previously pocketed hand through his trademarked severe high-tailed pony, stopping just as his fingers connected with the olive band that held his dark mane together. His thumb curved towards the underside of his head. The rest of his fingers mirrored the motion and latched themselves on the top part of his pony. He held his hair for a moment, pouring his exasperation through that single squeeze. In a single motion he pulled down, his hand gliding through his hair until each strand flicked upwards, his head once again resembling that of a pineapple.

He let his arm fall back to his side.

_But why wait for the rents when Chouji would probably just do the deed himself? _

Bloody smitten bastard, he thought after a pause.

_And he calls himself my best friend. _

Shikamaru shook his head, annoyed at himself for getting so worked up over such a stupid thing.

'_But it's not stupid.' _A voice inside him spoke.

He nodded to himself grimly. It wasn't hard to agree with that. His pride was at stake here. _And goddammit he was entitled to keeping that intact._

A sigh escaped from his lips. It was Ino's fault he got dragged into this. And Chouji's. Shikamaru had never been able to say no to his mammoth of a best friend.

He brooded. His lips pressed into a thin line as he wondered what he had done to deserve such agita in his life? He had been good for most of his life, he thought pensively. Sure he was lazy, but everyone's entitled to a fault or two …

_Or more … _

Another sigh eased its way out of his lips. He unclenched his fist, unfurling the now fully fluffed scrap piece, the cotton-like fuzz sticking to his skin like burr on his clothes after a weeklong mission in the bush. The paper was almost unrecognisable. To call it 'tatty' would be considered a compliment. But despite this, the faint blue cursive scrawl that was distinctly Ino's stubbornly refused to let itself be erased.

Not that it mattered to be honest. With his eidetic memory, the first glance was all it took for the message to pervade his thoughts.

_Snow White._

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	2. Two: The unwilling recruit

**Title: **Shiroyuki Ouji

**Summary: **Shikamaru was a traditionalist. He believes in the idea of the man asking the woman out and not the other way around. He believes in chivalry and treating his woman like a queen. And he certainly does not appreciate being treated like a princess by the girl he is secretly crushing on. Even if it was only for a play.

**Genre: **Humor

**Disclaimer: **Don't own the characters, but I certainly wish I did.

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**Shiroyuki Ouji**

_Anthropomorphichybrid_

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_**Chapter Two – The unwilling recruit **_

It all started earlier that day. It was Shikamaru's day off; one of the few days where he was actually able to relax and not think about the repairs required in Konoha.

He was reminiscing about yesterday's surprising events whilst playing a friendly, game of shougi with his father. Yesterday, a group of them were called up to see Tsunade-sama. Konoha had been quiet and peaceful for quite some time. Too quiet, as most veteran shinobis would say. And so for him and his fellow comrades to be called up out of the blue, made them all feel quite wary and uneasy. The walk towards the Hokage's office was a quick one as most wanted to get it done and over with. Even the loudmouth Makuro-san kept his trap shut. The solidly built chunin was often heard before seen. Cheerful, despite being a man way past his prime, he kept the group entertained with stories of his misadventures. Though well meaning, his boisterousness was only a step away from being as annoying as a certain blonde-haired, self-proclaimed future Hokage.

Shikamaru readied himself to be prepared for the worst. But there was no need for that. There was no potential trouble, no A-ranked mission to be sent on. In fact, the meeting was simply to personally thank and inform the hard working shinobis of Konoha that they were entitled to a few days of rest before their rebuilding had to recommence. The Hokage seemed to be in a good mood that day or at least drunk herself into one. Not that the particulars mattered to him. She began with all-round compliments on their skill and efficiency as a team. Knowing that the Hokage would never start with something so trivial if the meeting had a serious purpose, Shikamaru had politely muted out the rest of the pleasantries. Naturally, his ears perked up at the sound of 'rest', 'relaxation', and 'for a few days'.

For the rest of that afternoon, each shinobi and kunoichi worked with increased zeal as they looked forward to the next few days of rest.

Having nothing else to do really, other than to take advantage of the Hokage's unusual display of generosity and benevolence, he figured an afternoon spent playing shougi with his father should allow him sink back into normalcy. And that's exactly what he did.

It had been six months since the war ended. So many casualties. So much damage. But in the scheme of things, all that mattered in the end was that they won. At a cost, yes. But they won nevertheless. The village was slowly rebuilding itself. Physically, it would probably only take another year to get everything back up to scratch. Possibly another 6 months give or take for the economy to reach stability. But inside? He wasn't sure if they would ever recover completely. He knew he wasn't.

He was 18 now. Funny that. It felt as if it was only yesterday when he was first sent off to lead a mission on his own. He wasn't even 13 then.

_And by god was I so stupid. _

He frowned at the memory before shaking his head to dissipate the creeping guilt. Taking a glance back at the board he made his move. He couldn't help but smile a little at the grim line that formed on his father's lips after realising that his son had effortlessly shut down his chances of winning. Five moves at most. Two if he makes a wrong move.

The younger Nara shut his eyes for a moment.

The war. It still haunted him. Killing hadn't gotten any easier. Even for a typical shinobi, the amount of blood spilt by his own hands was greater than the average for his age; even a notch higher than the median range for jounins. And his role wasn't even purely as a soldier, but more as a tactician. He could only imagine how much worse it is for everyone else, especially those who had little choice but to kill messily – people who relied on weaponry.

'_Like Tenten,' _the voice inside him supplied.

_Tenten._

The corners of his lips unconsciously twitched upwards as his heart fluttered just a little bit faster.

Last year was the first time he realised that her eyes changed depending on her mood. Her eyes tended to adopt a feline-like quality whenever she's in battle. There's something so raw and feral about her eyes, like a predator poised and ready to attack. Her eyes would narrow into calculating arches, pupils flitting left right and centre as she analysed the situation. But he knew she was driven by instinct, more so than actual deliberation. He admired her ability to adapt and improvise in the last minute. It's what makes her a terrifying opponent. But outside the major danger zones, and in those short moments of peace, her eyes would soften to something akin to the does frolicking in his backyard. Long lashes tended to grace the curve of her cheeks whenever she blinked. And when they opened, bright eyes would look back at you, trapping you in a deceptive glance of innocence and child-like sweetness. And despite sounding like a complete lovestruck git, it did make him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Who would have thought that her irises were in fact more hazel than brown? A single glance would not have revealed this fact. But a closer look had displayed to Shikamaru how flecks of gold and green shimmered within the depths of her orbs, especially in certain angles of the light.

Firelight.

_They always looked best in firelight._

He never really thought much of her back in their younger days. Her being a year older than him didn't help either since their year groups hardly associated with each other. I guess the first time he really met her was during the chunin exams. Or more specifically, after his team – the so-called 'Sasuke Retrieaval Squad' – came back with her teammate resembling a Swiss cheese.

To say he was terrified was an understatement. To have his first mission as the leader ending as a failure had almost been enough to make him want to quit. The future generation of Konoha and its potential elites, almost wiped out because of his inexperience. No matter what his father had said to him afterwards, if Chouji had died … if Neji had died … if _anyone _had died – he probably wouldn't have been able to go on.

He had faith in Chouji. He knew he would pull through. But Neji? It was different.

The Hyugas. By god. He was so scared they would blame him for the loss of their prodigy. Scared that their sensei would have made him accountable for the injuries of his students. Thank Kami they never even went to see him. Thank Kami Neji survived. Him and Lee both.

And Tenten. The first time they properly met, he only knew her as the Hyuga prodigy and the mini-Gai clone's teammate. He knew little of her back then apart from her inevitable loss to Temari. He thought she'd be like Sakura or Ino. He thought she would blame him for returning her teammate in a state so close to death. Neji was the Sasuke of Tenten's year, and as far as he knew, his charms were no less potent.

_Broody, good-looking bastards_, he thought resentfully, and then dismissed the thought to sulk in the back of his mind.

Tenten. He was far from prepared for their meeting. He had tried to though. He figured he was bound to meet her in the hospital halls one of those days and so he prepared himself as much as possible for outbursts of anger and endless accusations. Though deep down he knew that he wouldn't have been able to bear it. He had always known he was a coward at heart. He certainly was back then anyway. So when their paths finally crossed, all he could do was freeze. The lazy and indifferent demeanour he had always put up was quickly eradicated by the enormous amount of guilt he felt.

_I'm sorry. _

The thought was but a whisper in his mind. He wanted to say it out loud but an unknown force clogged his throat, stopping him from speaking. All he could do was look up at her, his eyes conveying his complete and utter vulnerability.

Her eyes were noticeably red. There was no doubt that they had been rubbed raw from crying. But aside from that, her face betrayed little emotion.

They stood face to face, her eyes searching his, silently probing for something Kami only knows. It was like an inquisition, but not at the same time. Her eyes never hinted at judgement or any cruelty of any kind. But the guilt that he felt inside more than made up for the lack of accusations.

A slap was what he expected.

A hug? Not so much.

She whispered five words into his ear and was gone before he had time to process any of it.

He must have stood there for a few minutes, his mind replaying her words until he was convinced of their sincerity. Her gratitude had humbled him deeply.

'_You did well. Thank you.'_

His father coughed to bring him back to the present. Another quick glance at the board and he made his move.

_Tenten._

It wasn't as if he started liking her immediately after that. Not in _that _way anyhow. Having to share the same circle of friends, he had inevitably ended up seeing her more often, especially after Naruto left with Jiraiya. Not that they were close or anything. Though, he certainly spoke to her more often than any of the other girls. Ino inclusive, since he rarely spoke _to _her. Usually Ino talked and he just nodded. Shikamaru found that Tenten was one of the rare few of her specie _(and by Kami, they should be put under a different specie label of their own)_ that he could actually have an intellectual conversation with – a conversation that actually made him want to contribute and prolong.

Now that he thought about it, he probably started crushing on her pretty much soon after Naruto left.

They never hung out outside of their group meet ups. He never had the guts to suggest otherwise. Besides, she was always with the Hyuga. Training. Just training, he hoped fervently. It wouldn't have been much of a jump to conclude that the two were dating – potentially anyhow – since she was the only girl he's seen the Hyuga talk comfortably with. Laugh even.

There were rumours. But until he had proof, he was content on hoping for the best.

And when she pecked him on the cheek last year as a 'birthday gift' due to having nothing else to give being in the middle of war and all, he began to hope like he had never hoped before.

But that's almost a good year ago. And nothing's happened since then.

The next four moves went quickly. And soon his father had lost.

They shared a wry smile before both shinobis turned towards a pair of familiar chakra patterns.

"Ino. Chouji." His father smiled at them warmly, "It's good to see you both again."

"Good to see you too oji-san. Do you mind if we steal Shikamaru for a bit?"

Chouji only smiled in the background.

"Of course not. I guess I better leave you kids to talk about your teenage stuff." Shikaku replied pleasantly before leaving the trio.

The moment his father was gone, Ino's 'sweet-girl' persona shifted to her usual self. "There you are!" Ino huffed, "I've been looking everywhere for you! Chouji said you'd be out in the fields cloud gazing not back at your home playing shougi!"

At this, Chouji flushed but remained silent knowing that Ino meant no real harm.

Shikamaru sighed, ignoring her outburst and Chouji for the moment. "Nice to see you too. Now what do you want?" he replied flippantly.

She rolled her eyes, her left hand dropping to her waist, her right pinching the bridge of her nose in a look of exaggerated consternation. Oh if she only knew how he felt every time she opened that mouth of hers.

_I seriously wonder what the hell Chouji finds even remotely attractive in her?_

"Okay, I'll make this short. I," she paused dramatically for effect, "have convinced Tsunade-sama to extend our break to an extra week on the condition that we would put together an event to boost the village's morale. Enough anyhow to stop them from complaining about the unfinished business of rebuilding the village."

"We?" Shikamaru spluttered, his face a look of complete and utter horror.

"Not just us three you idiot. And they call you a genius –" she muttered briefly, "I meant 'we' as the shinobis and kunoichis of Konoha. Like you'd be the person I'd ask to work with if I wanted to get anything done. Don't worry, I've already talked to the girls and we've got an idea of what we want to do. "

At the mention of 'the girls', Shikamaru's ears perked up.

Casually suppressing his piqued interest, he asked in a lazy drawl, "So what did you even need me for?"

"Every shinobi has to take part in the event. That was also one of the Hokage's conditions. And that includes you."

"So what _is _this event?"

At this, Ino grinned, "A festival of course!"

Shikamaru stared at her. "So you just want me to man a stall or something, right?"

"Nu-uh." She waggled her fingers at him, "I'm leaving that to everyone one else. Konoha 12 will be doing something special. I mean, I did come up with the idea, I'm not about to spend the evening manning a booth and unable to spend time with my friends?"

He couldn't help but smile at that. Sure Ino was annoying more often than not, but she was loyal to her friends. And deep down he knew that she cared.

"So what are we doing?"

"Well, I figured we should be the finale of the event. So …" her eyes twinkled suspiciously, "what better way to finish the day than to perform a play?"

"Tell me I'm just gonna be a tree … or something," he looked back in mild mortification.

"Nope. We're going to leave that decision to luck. Wouldn't that be more exciting?"

"No. Not really."

Ino glared at him before hitting Chouji and lifting her eyebrows to indicate that he do something about Shikamaru's uncooperative self.

"Please?"

He scowled. He could never say no to Chouji. The man hardly asked for anything but gave so much. And so when he did, ask for something that is, he couldn't help but say yes.

"Fine."

"Perfect!" Ino grinned. "I knew it was a good idea to bring you," she said to Chouji.

"Now, let's get this show on the road. Follow me boys!"

"W-wait … you mean we're starting now?"

Ino stopped mid-step and turned her head. "I guess I forgot to mention that Tsunade wanted it done in two days time."

Shikamaru combed his fingers through his high-pony. Eyes closed and breathing slowly, he counted to 10. He was about to say something when Ino interrupted.

"Hey, look on the bright side. At least a certain female, brown haired, weapons fetishist is gonna be there."

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open and his mouth moved at a speed that could rival Lee's legs when on one of his morning runs. But no sound came out. He wasn't that transparent was he? Does she know? Did anyone else know? Oh god, does the Hyuga know?

"Sheez, don't start freaking out on me, you're safe. You're pretty subtle. Just call it my woman's intuition," she winked teasingly, her eyes twinkling with unbridled mischief. "I haven't talked about it to anyone either. But if you don't start moving now …" she began.

He shot up from his seat, gracelessly tumbling face first onto the dry earth.

Ino snorted in the background.

_What a drag._

Rolling to his side, he sat up then stood up, his back facing his oldest friends to hide his growingly flushed face. He patted himself down and then shoved both hands in his pockets as if he hadn't just made a fool of himself. Without a word he began to walk the way Ino and Chouji had come only a few minutes ago.

A grin wormed its way to Ino's lips. "What are you waiting for Chouji? Let's go!"

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	3. Three: Role play

**Title: **Shiroyuki Ouji

**Summary: **Shikamaru was a traditionalist. He believes in the idea of the man asking the woman out and not the other way around. He believes in chivalry and treating his woman like a queen. And he certainly does not appreciate being treated like a princess by the girl he is secretly crushing on. Even if it was only for a play.

**Genre: **Humor/General

**Disclaimer: **Own it? Naruto? I only wish I did …

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**Shiroyuki Ouji**

_Anthropomorphichybrid_

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_**Chapter Three – Role play **_

Ino broke off her conversation with Sakura and then fashioned a sort of pedestal upon a poor unsuspecting tree stump. She hopped onto it, putting her hands on her hips and stood tall and proud. Her bright blue eyes roved over the small gathering. Nodding to herself briefly, she flicked back her long blonde hair and clapped twice to call their attention.

The laughter turned into quiet murmurings, until soon, all voices ceased.

A natural orator, graced with barrel-fulls of charm and charisma, she took command of the situation immediately.

"Thank you so much guys for coming here and taking part! I'm so glad that you are all willing to take part in this festival."

A snort escaped from Shikamaru at the _'willing' _part, but a scathing look from Ino shut him up. She continued without missing a beat.

"As you guys have been informed, we will be re-enacting Snow White for the final play. Nothing like a little bit of a romantic fairy tale with animals, princesses, a prince charming and a whole lot of fantastical and magical stuff to keep Konoha's citizens entertained. Talk about fun for the whole family! But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. Let's go back to those pieces of paper that you guys drew out of the sack I passed around. Each of those paper contains a character from the play – and as you guys can guess, that's the character you'll be playing."

Shikamaru only noticed now that it wasn't only he that was sporting a dismayed look. He couldn't help but rejoice a little after glancing at the Hyuga's uncharacteristically distressed expression.

"Aww, no fair Ino! Why do I have to play the animals AND trees?!" the group's whiner, number one unpredictable ninja and overall village hero made his presence heard. "Can I swap with someone else? I wanna be the Prince Charming!"

_Oh Kami no!_

The usually indifferent young Nara paled at Naruto's suggestion.

_At least make the Prince female. Shit. Do I have to kiss the prince if he's male?_

He was close to hyperventilating.

"No Naruto." Ino replied staunchly. "The point of this is to make it more fun. And it'll be more fun to get something that you'll probably never pick in a million years. And besides, I think it'll get a laugh from the audience – and that's what this is all about isn't it? Making Konoha's citizens happy!"

_Well she certainly got the 'never picking it in a million years' thing right. _Shikamaru grumbled to himself, but silently thanked the Yamanaka for saying no.

"So, I'm going to call out your name and I want you to tell me your character. No swapsies _okay_?"

The initial part of this statement seemed harmless enough, but the latter sent shivers down every sceptic's spine. The young Nara's included.

"I'm gonna start with myself so everyone knows which character everyone else is doing. So, Ino Yamanaka …" she scribbled onto the notebook she held, " … is playing the part of Dopey."

He had to hand it to her; she has certainly matured by a considerable amount. The younger Ino would've thrown a tantrum at not being able to play Snow White. She would've probably bent the rules and say that 'swapsies' are allowed just to get the part. But as proud as Shikamaru was of her, he kinda wished she threw the tantrum so could swap with her character. At this point, anything was better than Snow White. Even Dopey.

"Lee?"

"I shall be playing the oh-so-youthful dwarf Sneezy!"

"Hinata?"

"Ano … I am playing Grumpy."

"Sakura?"

A giggle escaped from the rosette before she said, "Doc. "

Ino laughed at the irony before continuing. "Sasuke-kun?"

He was silent for a bit. The group turned to the brooding man who had been the cause of much of their problems. Granted, he was still on probation but the whole group in general had pretty much accepted him with open arms. The fact that no one has tried to kill him yet is a testament to that. Since the fiasco ended, he seemed content to just let Konoha pass him judgement. He was lucky enough to be too important to Tsunade's apprentice and the village hero. In the end, the village owed the two too much and the decision was made in the favour of the traitor. Both Naruto and Sakura were only too happy to take turns in playing the role of 'parole officer'. Sasuke took it surprisingly well.

A quiet mumble from the last remaining Uchiha snapped the Nara out of his thoughts.

"Sorry Sasuke-kun, but you'll have to say that a bit louder."

Sasuke glared briefly at her but complied soon enough under her no-nonsense gaze, "… I got Bashful …"

The group sniggered.

Ino ignored them, "Shino?"

"Happy," was the curt reply.

Shikamaru's shoulder tensed briefly before returning to its hunched state.

_Poor guy._

You could feel the whole group practically wincing at this particular character choice. But Shikamaru reasoned that on the positive side, the Aburame at least was still able to play his own gender.

"Chouji-kun?"

"I'm playing sleepy."

"Awesome. That's all the Seven Dwarfs isn't it? Let's see who's left. Kiba?"

At this Kiba smirked, "I got the hunter. But how about Akamaru? He needs a part to play too."

Ino paused at this. "Hm … I'd say he could join Naruto in the animals and trees section. Speaking of which, I better write you down now as well Naruto."

Shikamaru counted the remaining people and the possible remaining characters while Ino jotted stuff on her notebook.

_So there's only me, Sai, Tenten and Neji … and one of them has to be the Prince … Tenten could be the Prince! _

This singular thought pervaded all sections of the young Nara's brain.

"Alrighty! So, four people left. Sai?"

An eerie smile planted itself on his face, "I am going to be the Mirror."

Despite the eeriness of the look, he seemed genuinely pleased with the choice.

The group suddenly looked at Shikamaru's direction as well as Neji and Tenten's. There were only three characters left. The Prince, the evil Queen and Snow White herself. He had a feeling the group was probably thinking that Tenten and Neji got Snow White and the Prince respectively – a sign that 'they were meant to be' or some bull of the sort.

_Too bad they didn't know I was Snow White. Talk about putting a spanner in the works._

Then Tenten suddenly looked his way and grinned impishly.

_She knows._

Shikamaru returned the gesture with a weak smile, just as the Hyuga prodigy turned to look at the direction Tenten was looking at. The Nara gave a casual shrug at the pale-eyed man's way. He received a glare in return.

_Oh Kami. Please don't let him be the Prince. Please don't let him be the Prince. Please don't let him be the Prince._

Shikamaru would have whimpered there and then, but he had to preserve some form of dignity, especially in front of the girl he was crushing on.

"Tenten?"

The said girl cocked her head to a side and threw a sneaky wink at the Nara before replying.

"Prince Charming."

Shikamaru bit back a grin and a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Ino only nodded to herself before asking the next person, "Neji?"

"…"

The group waited with bated breaths.

Shikamaru could see a hardening in the way the Hyuga genius' jaw clenched together. Though lasting less than a second, so much had been conveyed. A pause later, an almost inaudible sigh was released from the Hyuga's lips.

"The evil stepmother," he said simply, his eyes avoiding the Nara's.

"Woah, and I was so sure you got Snow White!" burst Naruto.

Sakura gave his head a sound smack, "Oh leave the poor guy alone."

Ino only lifted an eyebrow in amusement. "So, Shika-kun," she looked at the now blushing young man sweetly, "congratulations on getting Snow White. I'm sure you and Tenten will look like such a lovely couple."

Shikamaru flinched, face reddening even more.

_Trust Ino to stir a fuss._

He could feel the Hyuga's gaze, pinpointing his jugular. Shikamaru shuddered, his adam's apple bobbing nervously.

Ino remained seemingly innocent of her jibes and continued as if there was no tension in the air, "Now that we've got all the characters sorted, I want you guys to gather around. I'm about to hand out the script! Take one and pass it along. We'll meet again tomorrow morning, 6am sharp. And by then you better know your script. _Or else."_

"B-but Ino!" Naruto whined, "I haven't got ANYTHING to say at all! What am I supposed to do?"

Ino huffed at him, "Oh just practice your bunshins. I want decent looking trees and animals, from squirrels to whatever animals Snow White will meet in the forest, okay?"

"So … basically _any _animal right?"

"Yes, yes. Just go practice, maybe get Akamaru to practice with you."

Naruto grinned, "Roger that!"

Ino didn't seem to notice the mischievous glint in the Uzumaki's eyes.

"The better you know the flow of the script, the better it is for the play. So, tomorrow morning. 6am. Same spot as today. See you all tomorrow, all bright eyed and bushy–tailed, got it?"

The group nodded as one then wandered off their separate ways.

Shikamaru was about to go off his own way when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned head. _Ino._

Her eyes were twinkling, and the smirk on her lips told of unrivalled mischief.

"If you're just going to make fun of me, I'd rather you didn't. I'm feeling rather spent just dodging Neji's glares."

"Oh come on. Have more faith in me. Have I ever steered you wrong?"

Shikamaru gave her a look but said nothing.

Ino just rolled her eyes unabashed.

"Alright, alright. But those times, I didn't know that you actually weren't interested. I mean, I was only trying to help!"

"Help?" Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow. "You call abusing Temari, help?"

"Abuse? Gosh no. That wasn't abuse. I was just pretending to look as if I was interested in you so that she'll be interested in you too. I mean, seriously. Guys only tend to get girls when other girls think that most girls are into that guy, you know what I'm saying?"

The young Nara blinked once.

"And they call you genius," Ino muttered darkly. "All I'm saying is that, you become a whole lot more attractive when people think that other people are attracted to you too. That is, you become a scarce resource. Less of you. Plus, a lot of people wanting you. Equals, your value skyrocketing way up there, past the Hokage Mountain. "

Shikamaru sighed, "Okay, look. I understand. Now what do you want from me?"

"Want from you?" Ino scoffed, "It's not about what I want from you, but what I have just given you."

Shikamaru stared at her blankly.

"My gods! The opportunity! Don't you see? If Neji is the evil stepmother slash Queen, and Tenten is the Prince Charming, then they don't have any scenes with just the two of them together. I have edited and altered the script, combining some of the more popular variations and my personal ideas. I know that script backwards to front and I can say that there is definitely no scene in there where Tenten gets to be alone with Neji. There is a brief scene with her, you and Neji at the start, but that's about it. On the other hand, I have just provided you with the opportunity to practice kissing her."

"And as you know, the more you practice, the better it is for the play." At this, she winked at him conspiratorially.

Shikamaru couldn't help but blush - for the umpteenth time that day.

"So you better learn those lines well Shika-kun so you can get to the kissing part real quick."

And with another wink and an eerie double thumbs up reminiscent of Lee and Gai-sensei's antics, Ino was off leaving Shikamaru rooted to the spot like some sort of overgrown, reddish pineapple tree.

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_**A/N: The Sasuke bit was patchy I admit. But I really could not be bothered expanding on the Why since, he's not an important character in this tale of mine. So feel free to imagine whatever you want with regards to how he suddenly became happy enough to go back to Konoha after all the stuff he's said and done. I just really wanted another dwarf. **_

_**Cheers for reading.**_

_**~morphy-chan**_


	4. Four: Exchange

**A/N: Yes, I am a terrible updater. I'm sorry. I have plenty of excuses, but I figured you didn't want to hear them, so onto the story!**

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**Title: **Shiroyuki Ouji

**Summary: **Shikamaru was a traditionalist. He believes in the idea of the man asking the woman out and not the other way around. He believes in chivalry and treating his woman like a queen. And he certainly does not appreciate being treated like a princess by the girl he is secretly crushing on. Even if it was only for a play.

**Genre: **Humor/General

**Disclaimer: **Damn you Kishi …

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**Shiroyuki Ouji**

_Anthropomorphichybrid_

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_**Chapter Four – Exchange **_

A mild breeze passed through the quiet town of Konoha, with its imperceptible tendrils twisting through the flora and fauna. Tugging gently at their tips, the branches soon follow, swaying in time to a slow metronome only they can hear. Tendrils broke away from the foliage to soon wrap itself around the solid structures that make up the town. A caress as loving as a mother's hand wove through each worn but strong face, impressed upon solid stone for years, silently guiding from above. The breeze took a detour downwards, straight towards the heart of Konoha – its people. A shallow dive and swift upturn enticed the dried leaves that had settled on the brittle earth to come back to life and dance. Small whirlpools of dust, leaf and stone nipped at the bare ankles of the town's early risers, causing some to a follow a poor imitation of a Friday night jig. Through the village and into the deeper parts of the forest, the couthie wind flitted by, rousing nature's indigenous inhabitants with a quiet birl. The wind pushed on further into the forest until it reached the quiet form of a slumbering youth, nestled within an old tree. Bringing with it the smell of morning dew, freshly cut grass, the scent of freshly baked goods and a surprising warmth that is decidedly summer, the breeze encompassed the sleeping being, rocking him into a deeper oblivion. The sights and smells of safety forever ingrained in the child's mind overrode the latter learned shinobi ways. It hovered at his face for a moment before dispersing into the atmosphere with nothing but simple a blessing in its wake.

Tucked into a large grove of an old - rather conveniently placed - cedar tree, the young Nara heir was curled up into a small ball, with his knees bent towards his chin and right elbow by his thigh. Like a week-old kitten snoozing in the foetal position, Shikamaru rested with an ease and seeming vulnerability unusual for a shinobi of his calibre. Though his hair was still tied up in its customary high pony, his jounin vest was off and had been relegated to the role of that of a pillow. Short of putting a thumb in his mouth, the image he presented was that of a carefree youth without any worries and fears. Tired lines that creased his face during the day - lines that have become etched into his soul the moment he became a chunnin - faded away while he slept away in the safety of his perch.

He might have slept longer had his war honed instincts not kicked in at the presence of an intruder. Whilst feigning sleep, he tried to identify the trespasser's chakra pattern, but a voice beat him to it.

"Good morning Shikamaru. I know you're awake."

_Tenten._

Her sweet, melodic voice that was somewhat similar to that of a prepubescent alto male – not that he'd ever tell her that - that was neither too girlishly high nor too low, cut through the haziness of sleep faster than his mother's shrill cries. She was smiling, of that he was sure. He'd observed her before, studied the tell tale signs of her being happy. The gentle lilt in her voice just before she said his name gave away the amused giggle she was suppressing. That made him smile.

With his eyes closed, Shikamaru let out an indescribable groan, somewhere along the lines of a 'Mmm-ng-ah', while stretching his long limbs as best as he could before rolling up in a sitting position. With his shoulders curved in and back bent to a C, he pushed out his arms whilst simultaneously interlocking his fingers. After hearing a set of ten satisfying clicks, he finally popped one eye open.

"Well you're here early."

Tenten lifted up an eyebrow, "Rude much. You're not much of a morning person are you? Where's my good morning?"

His eyes widened slightly, blushing at having forgotten about his basic manners. With his tongue in knots, he began to stutter out an apology – only to be interrupted by a laugh.

"I'm just messing with you," she teased, "just chill out Shikamaru. You've got nothing to worry about - I'm not your mum."

At that he had to smile, rewarding Tenten with a rare boyish grin.

"Yeah, you're definitely not like my mum. If you were her, I'd be dragged onto the floor before I could even open my eyes."

Tenten chuckled. "Oh I wouldn't shut down the possibility of that just yet. You should try asking Lee how he gets woken up on weekends. For someone who's crazy about training at such ungodly times of the day, that boy sure loves his weekend sleep-in."

Shikamaru blinked, brushing away the fleeting feeling of a tightening knot in his stomach. "I …" he began slowly, "I didn't know you and Lee lived together."

She shrugged. "With the war and all, both our homes got destroyed. We lived with Neji for a bit in the Hyuga compound but there was only so much of that I could take. And to be perfectly honest, I think there was only so much 'youth' they could take as well. We decided to share a small apartment after that – it was all we could really afford at the moment. But I think it was the best decision for all of us."

"Oh," Shikmaru said simply. "But what about Gai-sensei? Couldn't you have lived with him?"

Tenten looked at him, a single eyebrow curving upwards before she sat down on a dry patch of grass right under the cedar tree where the Nara was currently looking down at her.

"Living with one crazy psycho is more than enough thank you very much Mr. Genius. And besides, his house got destroyed too. He's been staying with Kakashi-sensei. We were lucky Neji managed to convince Hiashi to let us stay up until we got ourselves another place to stay."

Another 'oh' escaped from his lips.

He scratched at his head, "So … you're alright? Living with that one psycho of yours?"

'_Maybe you'd rather stay with me instead?' _his subconscious silently whispered.

It took much restraint to bite his tongue at this – he knew it wouldn't do him well to come off as pushy.

She cocked her head to a side, "Yeah. It's alright. He's a little bit of a handful at times but I can't really imagine living with anyone else other than my teammates. No offense to Ino but I'll take Lee's crazy antics over her non-stop gossip train. Besides, that girl is way too scheming. I'd like my home to be a place where I can sleep and rest – and not be on guard 24/7."

It was his turn to lift an eyebrow. "What's she done to you?"

"A better question might be what she _hasn't_ done to me?" was her quick retort.

Curiosity filled his eyes. He looked at the positioning of the tree's shadow then back at her. "We've got a couple more minutes before they arrive. Why don't you tell me something she's done recently?"

Her lips twitched. "Fine."

Her eyes glittered at the thought before speaking. "You know how she's real into Kiba?"

He nodded.

"Well, Kiba used to like me. Actually, he still might – I'm not really sure …"

His eyes widened in surprised.

"But anyhow, apparently I've got one of the best legs he's seen," she rolled her eyes, unaware of the growing tenseness in the young Nara's jaw.

"Ino wasn't too happy about this so she paraded herself in the skimpiest shorts I've ever seen whenever they were on a mission together. Apparently that still didn't do the trick. So she did the next best thing."

"Which was?"

She grinned before replying, "To hook me up with his best friend."

"Shino?" his voice rose into an awkward squeak. "So uh, what did she do?"

She gave him a smirk. "Well, let's just say we somehow found ourselves sharing everything from a cup to a tent on our last mission. To this day I still don't know how she managed to get us to lose our things without anyone knowing. We even had to share a sleeping bag on the last night – I felt so sorry for Shino. The poor guy was so uncomfortable about it. Though I must admit he looked rather adorable – kinda like a confused little puppy."

The Nara frowned inwardly. Of all the guys in Konoha, Shino just had to up him one. And he thought they were pretty much even in the 'least wanted male' list in Konoha.

But a thought irked him, and he voiced it out. "How come you didn't share your sleeping bag with Ino? I would have assumed that given the circumstances, Kiba and Shino would have shared gears being teammates and all and you two would have shared yours as you both are female?"

"Well, that's where Ino was being her usual clever, scheming self. At some point in the mission we had to split off into teams and we needed a tracker in each pairing. Somehow, she made sure that she paired up with Kiba, and I with Shino. And on the nights that we were together, she made sure that it was the boys who lost their sleeping bags. Our sleeping bags were a bit smaller and so the only way we'd all fit in a bag is if we paired off with one of the guys. And knowing about Kiba – the player that he is, I played right into Ino's hands and made sure I was with Shino. There was no way in hell I was going to let Kiba in my sleeping bag – I'd take Akamaru any day." She shuddered.

"Thank god she's finally stopped pestering me about Shino. Although I'm worried that it may be because she's trying to hook me up with someone else again."

Shikamaru stiffened, guilt lacing his eyes. Fortunately, Tenten was looking elsewhere.

_Figures. I knew she was up to something. That troublesome woman …_

"So what about you? You living on your own?"

Her sudden question interrupted his thoughts.

"Uh. I was. But there's a bit of a housing shortage after the war so most of us who come from larger clans have gone back to our family homes so others can get a place to live."

She smiled at him in admiration. "That real nice of you. It's not easy giving up privacy, especially since you could probably afford to get your own apartment again."

He looked away, scratching the back of his head while he tried to hide the small grin that had crept into his face at the compliment. He was about to say something when a loud voice coming in the form of a green blur interrupted his flow of thought.

"Oh Tenten-chan!" a certain green spandexed young man rushed up to her, "You have bet me to the meeting place! I promised to get here before you even after doing 1000 laps around Konoha on my knuckles. I have failed you! I must now do 2000 push ups after our practice session."

Tenten rolled her eyes for the second time that day before sharing a brief smile with the young Nara genius.

It wasn't long before the rest of their company came in. The whole group turned up mostly on time, with Naruto and Sasuke arriving the latest at two minutes after six. Neji had arrived a good five minutes before the supposed meeting time and promptly went over to Tenten's side, stealing her away without even a backward glance at the Nara. Tenten gave Shikamaru an apologetic smile before chatting away with a slightly more responsive than usual Hyuga.

Shikamaru's eyes followed Tenten's movements, frowning at how she seemed to be much more at ease and in tune with the Hyuga. His inner logic berated him however for his childish brooding because really, it shouldn't have been all that surprising because they have been teammates for such a long time. It was terribly unnerving to see _him _smiling. But what made it worse was the distinct pinkness that was spreading in _her _cheeks as she gave him a smile – _**the **_smile– that she reserves just for him.

_It's gonna be a long day. How troublesome …_

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	5. Five: Practice

**Library is closing ... must rush!**

**/Edit 5 Feb 13: Apologies for the terrible spacing. I was seriously rushing to get this chapter out and so I didn't realise that FF screwed up with my layout when I exported it from Word. Hopefully this is better. :) I really miss having the internet at home!** _/cries/_**  
**

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**Title: **Shiroyuki Ouji

**Summary: **Shikamaru was a traditionalist. He believes in the idea of the man asking the woman out and not the other way around. He believes in chivalry and treating his woman like a queen. And he certainly does not appreciate being treated like a princess by the girl he is secretly crushing on. Even if it was only for a play.

**Genre: **Humor/General

**Disclaimer: **Damn you Kishi …

* * *

**Shiroyuki Ouji**

_Anthropomorphichybrid_

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_**Chapter Five – Practice **_

To say that the practice went seamlessly and required very little direction from Ino – would be a lie considerably far more false than all the ones Kakashi-sensei is said to have said combined. Morning turned to noon in a time so cruelly stretched. It seemed like they were there for six decades and not mere six hours.

What began as an exciting _(to some that is)_ endeavour, turned into something just short of a nightmare. Ino's positivity seeped out of her pores at a pace that followed an inverse graph, with amount of patience in the y-axis, and time in the x. By lunchtime, all that was holding her back from physically launching herself at her friends was Sakura's beastly strength and no nonsense tone.

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_**Earlier that day**_

"_Okay folks. Gather up," Ino said in a commanding tone, "Let's try the scene where Snow White is running away from the hunter in the forest. Shika-kun, Kiba, Naruto and Akamaru, you're all up."_

_The young Nara dragged himself to the centre of the clearing, just behind the other three. A feeling in his gut warned him that something was off but he was in no mood to look into it._

"_Great!" Ino clapped her hands together. "Now Shikamaru, you can start."_

'_Troublesome …' he muttered before reciting his lines – in monotone._

"_CUT!" Ino stopped him. "Give it a bit more feeling Shika! You're supposed to be a young girl who's terrified out of her wits! Take 2!"_

_He sighed. "Oh dear sir, where are you taking me? We have gone so far away from -"_

_THWACK_

_The Nara barely caught himself from falling face first into the dirt._

"_Oi! What the hell are you doing Ino?!" Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head_

"_I. Said. To. Give. It. More. FEELING. __**Understood?**__"_

_He winced._

"_Hai"._

"_Take 3!"_

"_Oh dear sir, where are you taking me? We have gone so far away from home," he said in an awkward falcetto._

_Kiba entered the scene, completely in character. _

"_Silence girl. The Queen has told me to kill you and to take your heart to her. If you remain quiet, I shall make sure to do it as quickly and as painlessly as possible."_

"_But why? I have done nothing to her?"_

"_Alas child, you have grown up to be more beautiful than the Queen and she cannot tolerate this. In order to be the most beautiful person in our lands, you are to be killed. And I shall take your heart as proof."_

"_But dear sir, can you not just pretend?"_

"_CUT!"_

"_What now Ino?" Shikamaru grumbled._

"_You're meant to look sweet and innocent! You have to plead for your life! Don't just stand there looking stupid. Can't you be more into it like Kiba?"_

"_Sweet? Innocent? Are you kidding me Ino?"_

_Ino glared, "Do I look like I'm kidding right now?"_

_Shikamaru grimaced. He could feel a headache coming on through. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. A glance at Kiba's smirking figure caused an angry twitch in his cheek._

"_Take it from Kiba's second line. Go."_

_Kiba cleared his throat and began again._

"_Alas child, you have grown up to be more beautiful than the Queen and she cannot tolerate this. In order to be the most beautiful person in our lands, you are to be killed. And I shall take your heart as proof."_

_With a dramatic flourish of his arm, Kiba finished the statement with a finger pointed towards Shikamaru._

_The young Nara couldn't help but cringe. Sighing for the umpteenth time, he said his lines, while attempting to bat his lashes._

_Unfortunately his attempts resulted only in another thwack from Ino._

"_I said sweet and innocent. I didn't tell you to flirt with him! Now do it again."_

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The first part of the morning ended with Shikamaru sporting more than just a battered head. From the laughter and humiliation he received in having to act like the delicate Snow White, his ego also took a major blow.

'_At least you made her smile,' _his subconscious said, trying to cheer him up. But the memories of her laughing only brought back the feelings of embarrassment.

… _just don't. _He thought back forcefully.

'_Oh come on. It's not like she was laughing at you … not all the time anyway,' _added the voice inside.

_Just shut up._

To his relief however, by the time the day was through, he was no longer the only subject of Ino's wrath. Between himself, Naruto, Shino, Sasuke, surprisingly Hinata, and Sai, they managed to divvy up her ire quite evenly.

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"_Naruto! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ino screeched for the 6__th__ time that minute._

_Akamaru whined in the background, flattening his ears as he curled into a metre long ball beside Kiba. He knew that tone. Heard it often enough at the Inuzuka household. Putting his large furry paws over his closed eyes, he decided he was better off staying out of this one._

"_Aww, but you said I could do __**any **__animal."_

"_I figured you would have used your common sense. I meant that as any animal that Snow White could have encountered in the forest."_

"_But Snow White could have encountered some pandas."_

"_No Pandas!"_

"_But what about the awesome as unicorns?"_

"_They are two feet tall, rainbow coloured, doe eyed moving stuffed ponies. This is not a My Little Pony forest you Brony!"_

"_They are so not My Little Pony ponies, they are unicorns! Can't you see the horns?"_

"_No unicorns!"_

"_What about –"_

"_No Chihuahuas."_

"_But –"_

"_No tuataras!"_

"_Eh? But –"_

"No camels!"

"_Bu-"_

"_No dinosaurs!"_

"_Oh come – "_

"_And especially NO giant fluoro pink Mexican walking fishes!"_

_Naruto harrumphed. 'Party pooper,' he muttered._

_THWACK_

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Shino's case wasn't any better. Like Naruto, his problem was a result of not wanting to go against his nature.

And Ino was no less relentless.

_Then again, it may have had something to do with her plans with him and Tenten not working out. _Shikamaru murmured to himself as an afterthought before sighing in relief._ Thank Kami …_

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"_Shino! You're supposed to be Happy. You don't look happy at all. I need you to smile!" Ino said, annoyance obvious in both her voice and body language._

"_I am smiling," the bug user replied, his voice slightly muffled from beneath his coat._

"_Well we can't tell," Ino huffed. She strode over to the tall shinobi and reached out to grab at his collar. Shino froze at the intrusion of his personal space. _

_With a quick yank, she opened his coat, revealing a stricken look plastered onto his face._

"_Now smile."_

_Their group stopped what they were each individually doing and turned to look at the bug user, waiting with bated breaths to see what he would do._

_A minute ticked by before any movement could be discerned. Both corners of his lips turned up by less than half a centimetre each. Another minute or two passed before Ino broke the silence._

"_You call __**that**__ a smile?" she said incredulously. _

_Completely invading his personal space, Ino grasped Shino's cheeks in her hands and pulled them up and to the side. _

"_Now hold it there."_

_She let go of his face. _

_His face immediately returned to its previous look. _

_A twitch graced her cheek. _

_She reached in again, repeating what she had just done before. _

"_Now hold it there this time."_

_She let go. And the same thing happened. _

_Another twitch found itself on her face._

"_Now Shino-kun," she began slowly, a saccharine tone tainting her voice. "I would suggest you do as I say unless you want me to do your role for you __**– in your own body**__."_

_His adam's apple bobbed twice before he attempted a 'smile'._

_The occupants of the clearing froze at the sight, half of them with eyes bulging out of their sockets and jaws, clichéd as it is, hanging open. _

_Ino broke out of her stupor first and slammed a hand into Shino's face, rearranging his features for him. _

"_Uh … maybe you should go practice your smile a bit more. Maybe try it in front of a mirror … in your room … on your own..."_

_He nodded once._

"_Okay, next scene. We'll move on for now …" Ino said nervously, mind still reeling from what she had seen. Clapping her hands to get the others attention, she moved towards the other side of the clearing – away from Shino._

_Shino turned to Kiba._

"_Was that not correct?"_

_His best friend looked at him pityingly._

_Shaking his head, Kiba patted Shino's back before replying. "Let's just say – you probably shouldn't try that in front of anyone you want to impress – heck, anyone you know really."_

_And with that, Kiba left Shino to sulk._

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Shikamaru ran a hand through hair. His ponytail was already starting to come loose, and the day was nowhere near through. He thought back to the event with Shino and quietly mused in his spot – a blind spot he had accidentally discovered, hiding him from more than just Ino's peripheral vision without looking like he was hiding in the first place.

_It wasn't like it was the guy's fault. _He thought simply. _I don't think he could help it – it's like asking Sasuke to look shy and less conceited … _

His ears twitched at the sound of Ino's voice while goosebumps ran down his arms.

_Oh god, I think Ino just did._

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"_Sasuke-kun."_

_The word was said calmly enough. But the formerly endearing term was laced with something that made the hairs on Shikamaru's neck stand at attention. Edgy and with a bite, but coated with a sickeningly sweet veneer of feminine innocence – to put it bluntly, it was the tone his mother used whenever he did something very, very bad and she was but a hairsbreadth away from giving him a thorough whopping._

_The Uchiha turned his head towards Ino at the sound of his name being called._

_She rubbed her temple with the pads of her fingers before continuing._

"_Your character is called Bashful. Bashful means being shy. Glaring at every single other dwarf will not make you look shy – ever. Now quit your beady eyed looks and start looking shy."_

_Sasuke glared back before replying coolly._

"_Different people can be shy in different ways. This is my way of looking bashful."_

_An angry red aura began to seep out of Ino's pores. She clenched both fists to calm herself before responding in clipped tones._

"_Well you're not being you are you? You're playing the role of Bashful so suck it up and start looking shy the normal way. Quit looking like a pompous, conceited, stuck up jerk and start looking shy or I will make you run around Konoha waddling like a duck."_

_He lifted an eyebrow. "I'd like to see you try."_

_Shikamaru winced at the exchange. Someone probably should stop her before things get too heated up. That girl holds serious grudges. And he knows it first hand. _

_A movement at the corner of his eye warned him that Chouji was about to make a move. A quick set of hand seals from him stopped his best friend from advancing any further. The young Akimichi looked at him in confusion._

_Shikamaru shook his head before silently mouthing a warning. 'You know what happened last time.' _

_Chouji inwardly flinched at the memory._

_Knowing that his best friend wasn't about to do anything stupid, he slowly let go of his jutsu. He figured Sakura would probably do something anyway._

_And as if she read his thoughts, Sakura immediately came to intervene. _

"_That's enough from you two. Everyone take five."_

_The rest of their group dispersed into smaller groups, slowly starting some small talk to alleviate the growing tension._

"_Naruto –" Sakura began._

"_Onto it," he said quickly. Chucking an arm around the brooding man's neck, Naruto guided him away from the clearing. Sasuke surprisingly didn't cause much of a fuss and left quietly with Naruto with just a simple 'hn'._

_Sakura then turned to her long time friend. Worry lines creased her forehead as she saw Ino's body shaking with barely controlled rage._

"_I don't know what I ever saw in him. He is such an ass!" the blonde woman hissed._

"_There, there," Sakura said calmly, rubbing Ino's back the way she would console a patient._

_Still angry, and very much annoyed, Ino rounded on Sasuke's character as if her life depended on it. In that five-minute break, all that escaped Ino Yamanaka's lips involved a profanity, Sasuke's name, or both. _

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Hinata had suffered a little bit less. The young heiress benefitted on the perks of being Ino's friend, but the remaining ire from Ino's earlier encounter with Sasuke had still left Hinata close to tears. It took a gentle but firm reprimand from Tenten to snap Ino out of her mood.

Shikamaru was a little bit surprised at this. Not that he doubted Tenten's ability to be both gentle and firm (despite only having seen her use violence and lots of tough love towards Lee). His surprise was more because he didn't think Ino would pay heed to her dressing-down. Ino's a stubborn one. Prideful too. It's never easy to tell whether she has decided to listen to you or to hit you.

It seemed that Tenten's words were said gently enough, as more of a reminder than an actual scolding, making Ino realise that she had probably said too much. A quick apology was given to Hinata, but Ino was no less nicer for the rest of the day.

Despite the unexpected hilarity that ensued between Sai and Neji, Ino remained in a foul mood.

Shikamaru smirked at the memory of the exchange between the two dark haired men.

_Priceless. _He thought simply. _It's a shame Ino didn't find the situation any more amusing than the previous ones._

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"_This is the last scene we're practicing today," Ino began in a terse voice. "Sai, Neji. You two are up."_

_Tenten and Neji shared a look before the latter turned towards the centre of the clearing. The normally indomitable look in his eyes now spoke of resignation, unusual for the stoic Hyuga. But his steps were no less dignified. Shikamaru would even admit that in some respect, it seemed more regal than usual. His slow but purposeful steps spoke of strength that could not be belied by an otherwise demeaning role. Head held high and jaw clenched, Neji Hyuga walked like a proud man marching to his own hanging. _

_Sai on the contrary appeared to be enjoying himself. The fake smile that he never went without looked more genuine than usual. _

_A trick of the light. Shikamaru assumed, albeit incorrectly as he and the others were soon to find out. _

_Tired blue eyes gazed at the two men in the clearing. "It's the last one of the day, make it count guys," Ino said simply. "Take one."_

"_Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" Neji said slowly, a subtle aristocratic lilt weaving through his enunciation. _

_Though the Hyuga clan could never boast to be the epitome of masculinity – as defined by most people – having taken after the fairer elven breeds of their ancestors, their actions spoke unmistakably of power, grace and above all, a deep-rooted sense of nobility. _

_It was these characteristics present in the way he spoke and the way that he held himself that captivated each and every single one of their crew, Shikamaru included. Although his voice certainly screamed 'male', that small aspect was quickly overlooked. Glassy looks of awe glazed the eyes of his friends as silence hung over the forest. _

_Neji's clothes rustled quietly at the slight shift in his weight. The movements were barely noticeable but both actions indicated to his long time teammate and sparring partner of his growing discomfort. Her eyelashes fluttered once before she offered him a brief smile. It was all she could do at that moment. She wasn't quite prepared to break the golden silence._

_It took another subtle shift in weight and a brief rustle from the Hyuga before Sai remembered it was his turn to respond._

"_Thou art …" he began but then frowned inwardly as he realised that he had suddenly forgotten his lines. He remembered reading somewhere that it was not unusual for actors to ad lib and so he figured he'd give that a shot._

" … _thou art the most beautiful oh Queen – especially with your damn fine eyes and pretty face."_

_Stunned silence met with his particular choice of words._

'_Speechless already? I think I may have found my true calling,' he mused._

_He looked back at the Hyuga and smiled, throwing in a wink for good measure._

_Before a grimace could mar Neji's impassive features, his instincts for self-preservation kicked in. The similarity of the aura surrounding Sai and of the countless fan girls he had had to evade throughout his younger years quickly triggered the suppressed defence mechanism he had thought he had lost three years into Tenten becoming his official sparring partner. In the span of less than a second, Neji had subconsciously dropped into a defensive stance._

_Shikamaru would have laughed outright at the peculiarity of the situation and at Neji's obvious discomfort. But between the close-to murderous intent pouring out of Ino and the worry in Tenten's eyes, he thought it was wiser to save that laugh for when he's alone in his room._

"_Sai. Please stick to the script," Ino said pithily._

"_But I have read somewhere that it is acceptable conduct for actors to ad lib in filming situations."_

"_Trained actors. Not shinobi who are simply trying to practice for a play. You can't just change the script like that. It changes the whole atmosphere!"_

_Sai only looked at her wordlessly. _

_Taking it as a sign that he had understood, Ino continued._

"_Let's skip this for now and move onto the second mirror mirror scene. Neji, if you could please start us off? Oh and drop the stance will you?"_

_The Hyuga slowly stepped out of his defensive stance, gently taking a few steps back from the smiling Sai. This move was not lost on the rest of his comrades._

_He began again, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" _

"_Pineapple head is the prettiest of them all."_

"_Sai!" Ino barked sharply._

"_Oh my mistake. Pineapple head-chan is the prettiest of them all. But I think you're much sexier than that overgrown weed."_

_Ino's eyes widened and her mouth dropped down a centimetre or two at Sai's words._

_Shikamaru considered feeling annoyed at the insult, but then changed his mind at the adverse effects Sai's words had on Neji. That his face would pale to the extent that it had – and the man was rather pale enough to start with – the young Nara figured he'd get more perks out of it this way._

_Sai looked mildly amused at the range of expressions that faced him. _

"_Did I say something wrong?"_

_Ino suddenly launched herself at the misguided young man. But years of learning to instinctively avoid Sakura's lethal punch allowed him to dodge with little effort. This gave Sakura enough time to restrain Ino with her Herculean strength. _

"_Let me at him forehead!" Ino struggled at the hands that held her, "Let me at him!"_

"_Hold yourself together Ino," Sakura said between gritted teeth._

_But Ino wouldn't listen and continued to flail like her life depended on it._

_While keeping the female Yamanaka in place, she barked out orders at the others. _

"_Guys. Please learn your lines properly." _

_At this, Ino snarled at the still smiling Sai._

"_I want you all to work on your expressions and delivery. Remember we're trying to recreate the wonders of Snow White for our village. If they're not satisfied, neither will be Tsunade-sama – and by Kami I want that holiday! Sai, work on your lines with Neji. NO adlibbing. Kiba, I want you to go with them and do your scenes with Neji. Hinata, please try to look more grumpy. Sasuke, learn to act bashful and Shino, please practice that smile. Once I get Ino under control, us dwarfs will get together after lunch to practice our scenes. Naruto … use your common sense! Did I miss anyone?"_

_Shikamaru and Tenten lifted their hands._

"_Ah yes, you two. Tenten, I want you to teach Shikamaru to act more like Snow White. I'll leave the method at your discretion."_

_Tenten replied with a single nod._

"_Now the play is on tomorrow evening. We'll meet again tomorrow morning to practice. Same time. Same place. We'll have the dress rehearsal just before lunchtime – by then the local sewing club should be finished. Dwarfs, I'll meet you here in an hour. Everyone else, I'll see you tomorrow."_

_The group quickly dispersed, not wanting to piss off Sakura as well._

_Shikamaru was one of the first to leave. Ino's complaints slowly faded into the background but he didn't stop until he could hear her no longer. The last thing he heard was Sakura convincing Ino to go check out the stalls being built. _

_Distraction had always really worked well with her, especially when her emotional state is in a mess. Shikamaru thought._

_He stood for a moment on a tree branch that was hanging at the edge of the forest before leaping off to land on the ground, a single step away from the dirt-ridden path that led to the village centre. The drop, had anyone witnessed it, was characterised with a grace and practiced ease most people would never associate with the lazy man. He was about to take a step when a voice made him turn._

"_Wait up Shikamaru!"_

_With fleet-footed movements, Tenten soon caught up, dropping almost soundlessly in front of him._

"_Are you heading off to lunch?" she asked brightly._

"_Uh, yeah," he replied somewhat dimly, caught out by both her question and her smile._

"_Do you mind if I join you?"  
_

"_Yes – uh, I mean, no. Uh." Shikamaru rambled atypically before taking a deep breath to control the countless permutations his brain was spouting out as it analysed the possibilities and nuances posed by this question. _

"_What I meant to say was no, I don't mind. And yes, please join me."_

_He inwardly patted himself, proud to have salvaged some of his dignity._

"_Great!" was her cheery reply before boldly looping her arm around his like a Prince to his Princess._

"_Shall we, Princess?" Tenten teased._

_Shikamaru's mouth opened and shut like a goldfish. And soon, a rather confused, but nevertheless endearing look sat on Shikamaru's face._

_Tenten only laughed. "For the rest of this afternoon, you will be my princess. There are a couple of things we'll need to work on before you can properly play the role of Snow White but we'll take each step nice and easy."_

_Shikamaru only stared back at her, remaining in a frozen stupor._

_She shook her head at his unusual reactions, "You must be hungry. We'll continue our first lesson on our way to lunch. To Ichiraku's then your highness!"_

_With a devilish smirk and a teasing wink gracing her features, Tenten gallantly led out a slowly reddening and unusually fidgety Shikamaru Nara towards the busiest part of the village._

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	6. Six: Femininity

**I have lost the plot me thinks ... .  
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**WARNING: Author gone on a writing rampage.  
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**Title: **Shiroyuki Ouji

**Summary: **Shikamaru was a traditionalist. He believes in the idea of the man asking the woman out and not the other way around. He believes in chivalry and treating his woman like a queen. And he certainly does not appreciate being treated like a princess by the girl he is secretly crushing on. Even if it was only for a play.

**Genre: **Humor/Romance

**Disclaimer: **Damn you Kishi …

* * *

**Shiroyuki Ouji**

_Anthropomorphichybrid_

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_**Chapter Six – Femininity**_

Shikamaru was at a loss. On one hand, he was feeling rather chuffed at being able to be in such close proximity with the girl he had been crushing on. Having full knowledge of the extent of his inability and inexperience when it comes to wooing those of the fairer sex, he knew he should be very thankful for the opportunity he had been given. But on the other hand, he's not too sure how much more embarrassment he could handle – and it's not even the day of the play yet. Crinkled eyes from old women trying to stifle laughter, followed him around as Tenten led him towards Ichiraku's. Adults ranging from shopkeepers he'd frequent on a weekly basis to shoppers he'd never met before also watched his fumbling actions with ill-concealed amusement. And if that wasn't bad enough, it seemed as if all the kids and tweens began to join in as well, their twitterings a lot less subtle than all the rest put together.

And Tenten was oblivious to it all. Seemingly anyhow.

_She's enjoying this. I know she is! _

A pout threatened to spill from Shikamaru's lips.

He honestly doubted that she would be able to ignore such blatant stares, especially since she was a kunoichi with one of the keenest observational skills he had ever known. Her sharpened eyes combined with a sensitivity that could almost be described as a sixth sense, has allowed her to become a fighter armed with an arsenal that fused method and instinct, making her a difficult opponent to predict.

His eyes tilted slightly downwards at the shorter woman. Particularly where his hand was curved in, resting on the crossroad that joined her toned forearms to her arm. She held herself with an air of quiet confidence, warmth and unfathomable strength, sprinkled with a touch of charm and grace of Prince Charming himself. Had he not been feeling so overly self-conscious right now, he might have just let out the toothy grin he's been hiding deep down and swooned at her.

He watched through the corners of his eyes at how both the males and females of their specie would look at her. While some looked in awe, wanting to _be_ her, others gazed at her with a yearning that spoke nothing short of 'I want her to be mine!'

The thought jolted him awake. Particularly as the latter look came not only from boys and men.

To call her pretty would not be accurate, not even by a mile. There were so many facets to her. Her everyday face spoke of youth, sweetness and a hint of child-like wonder bound in a ball of cuteness. In battle, her face was a mask of fire and steel, an exotic beauty; she was a golden treasure, amidst a terrain of death and cyclical abuse of human power. But in moments of quiet, when a silly smile was not plastered onto her face or a mask of unyielding professionalism, one could only really describe her as handsomely beautiful.

He afforded himself another chance to look in her direction, making the most out of the fact that she was too busy guiding him through the crowd like a gentleman to actually look up at him. Her hazel eyes twinkled in almost palpable mirth, lashes caressing her cheeks as she blinked every so often. A stray lock of hair would swing now and again at her eyes, having escaped the confines of the meticulous buns that she wore on top of her head. The dark lock would glint under the glare of the sun, turning reddish gold for a moment or two before the usual coffee and cinnamon accents took their rightful place.

_Beautiful. _He thought quietly. He'd happily look at her all day instead of his beloved clouds. The simple white on blue could not compare to the rainbow of colours she radiated. And besides, no cloud had ever managed to bring a warm fuzzy feeling in him. A wistful look crossed his eyes. _I wonder ... I wonder if just looking at her would ever be enough?_

A firm hand atop of his snapped him out of his reverie. He didn't realise that he had almost let go.

"You're not getting out of this one Nara, not on my watch." Tenten winked at him teasingly.

He looked away as his stomach did flips. It felt like a stampede of deer were doing cartwheels and all sorts of gymnastic feats inside of him.

_She's just being friendly. _He warned himself, trying to soften the blow of what he knew would be a cause of heartbreak. _Don't expect anything._

They stopped suddenly and his eyes unconsciously drifted over to meet hers. They were now stuck in the middle of a huge crowd, people in a rush jostling them left right and centre.

_But no one's watching us now._

Her eyes softened at him.

"Look, if you're really against this I'll be happy to let you go. But I thought I could try make this more fun for you."

"No!"

Both their eyes widened at his outburst.

_Me and my stupid mouth. Since when have I stopped thinking before I spoke? Oh right - _

He shook his head, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "I-It's not that … I just …"

'_You just happen to have really low self-esteem when it comes to a certain brown haired kunoichi. And as much as you want to steal her away from a certain purple-eyed bastard, you're too much of a chicken to face the ramifications.' _

_Shut up. You know that the percentage of things going well for me is about five per cent. _

'_And you won't take the chance that maybe, just maybe, it'll be that five per cent that comes true!'_

…

'_Don't be a chicken. For once, stop using that oversized head of yours and start exercising your other body parts – and when I say other body parts, I refer to your heart and your guts.' _

"Shikamaru?" Tenten waved a hand in front of Shikamaru's frozen face.

He blinked.

"Oh. I …"

"Look here Shikamaru. We've been friends for a long time. I'd like to think that you'd be able to talk to me honestly. I know I can be a bit 'in your face' at times, but I had always thought that you were comfortable enough with my – quirks." At this the corner of her lips twitched upwards. "Team Gai is a very 'touchy-feely' sort of team, even Neji – for Hyuga standards though mind you. And we tend to be very upfront about these things. We're also very silly and we have a high tolerance for embarrassment. Having Gai as our sensei and Lee as my teammate, I have been reduced to having very few inhibitions."

"So I know this is probably embarrassing for you. But I figured that since you'll be doing this at the play anyway, it might do you good to get used to the attention now. I'm not trying to be cruel. I promise I'm not making fun of you. But I am trying to make you lighten up. For a real down-to-earth and lazy sort of guy, you can be a bit of a tight ass, if you don't mind me saying so. You need to learn to laugh at yourself."

Shikamaru only blinked again.

"I know you've got more problems on your shoulders than most of us who finished at the Academy around about the same time as you. But you need to realise that you're only eighteen. You can't live your whole life like an old man – you've got the rest of your life for that. So please, for your sake more than mine lighten up Shikamaru. Have fun. You've got a nice smile on you. And I'd like to see more of that." She said simply, smiling her everyday smile.

He pressed his lips together, trying to hold in the blush that was terribly eager to surface.

"Do you trust me?" Flecks of gold and green danced in the pools of her orbs as Tenten looked at him square in the eyes.

He took a moment to settle his thoughts.

_I'll take whatever she's willing to give me. And maybe if I grow bold enough, I might just ask for more._

He let his shoulders slacken, loosening the tenseness that he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Cocking his head to one side, he let out a lopsided grin.

"I guess I'm all yours."

_Oh heck! _

Shikamaru flushed at the unbidden words that came out, but Tenten didn't seem to mind.

Flashing him a grin, she suddenly stepped back from him before elegantly bowing at the waist, right arm parallel to her stomach, and left arm stretched out gracefully to the side, "then I am at your service my Princess."

The crowd that had ignored them previously suddenly halted to watch the oddity that was occurring in the middle of the day – during the lunchtime rush no less!

Shikamaru battled with himself for a moment before he gave up.

_This is the closest thing to a date I will ever have with her. To hell with it!_

Straightening his back, he attempted a clumsy courtesy, both hands pinching at an imaginary poufy skirt at his sides.

"My Prince," he said simply in a mock falsetto.

The giggle that erupted from Tenten was worth all the sniggers that he received around him.

"May I please have the honour of escorting you to lunch, your highness?"

"That you may, dear sir." He smirked.

Slipping his hand on her arm – a gesture he found so humiliating not ten minutes ago – suddenly felt like the most comfortable thing in the world, second only to sleeping on his underused, Posturepedic bed.

Projecting her voice out through a cupped hand, Tented bade them all to come and watch the play at tomorrow's festival.

Sniggers soon turned to murmurs of fascination.

And with a final adieu, Tenten and Shikamaru left the market, heading towards Ichiraku's.

.

.

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.

.

Word spread out quickly about the play, and soon, Konoha's civilian population became as equally excited as their shinobi counterparts. The practice regime Tenten had planned for Shikamaru had quickly bloomed into an unofficial marketing ploy.

It started when they got to Ichiraku's. Both shinobi ordered a miso ramen quickly before settling themselves comfortably on the wooden seats. The moment Tenten felt that Shikamaru was settled, she got straight into business.

"The aim of our practice is to turn you into a believable Snow White." Tenten said without preamble. "And so to accomplish this feat we'll need to work on your facial expressions, actions, speech, and of course, your touchy-feely tolerance."

A faint flush spread through his cheeks and throat. The last comment had sent his mind spinning into allsorts of tangents – it was clear to him where that led. He gulped inwardly as he recollected Ino's words.

_"So you better learn those lines well Shika-kun so you can get to the kissing part real quick."_

His Adam's apple bobbed another couple of times before he could settle his nerves. But despite his heartbeat going back to normal, he couldn't help the childhood habit of tapping his fingers to resurface.

Noticing his apprehension, Tenten laid a hand on his jittery ones.

"Calm down. We'll take it nice and easy, ne? And I promise to make sure that you're having fun while we're doing it."

He took a deep breath before grinning back. He dared not stop the nervous tapping now in case she removed her small hands from his.

"So, what's our course of action Tenten?"

"I think we'll start with something simple."

"Simple? Like what?"

"Smiling and blushing."

Shikamaru lifted up an eyebrow.

"You do enough blushing anyway so that shouldn't be too hard. But we should try to incorporate that into your smiling. That way we can channel your inner cuteness to your character Snow White."

"My inner what?!"

It was Tenten's turn to lift an eyebrow.

"Your inner cuteness of course. Snow White is a lovely little girl, very sweet and very cute. I think you should do well in this."

"Eh?"

The young Nara's face was scrunched in endearing confusion. With his head subconsciously cocked to one side, the full-blown effect left Tenten mute for a moment.

"You're a really adorable guy Shikamaru, I hope you realise that."

His cheeks reddened.

_Damn she's right. This is turning into a really bad habit. _He sulked inwardly.

"If you keep that up, you'll have the audience eating at your fingers. I think the casting turned out pretty well despite it being based on luck. You'd make a really good Snow White, no doubt."

He scowled at her. "Tenten, I'm not sure if you remember … but I'm a guy."

"And your point is?"

He just looked back at her blankly.

She rolled her eyes in reply. "The makeup department can handle the basics. But what really counts here is what's inside. You've got a charm about you – underused, yes – but it is there. You're very likeable despite the lazy, 'everything is too troublesome' attitude that you tend to project. And deny it all you want, but you're cute – especially when you have that confused look about you – Yes! That one! – and Snow White needs that tempered sweetness about her – kinda like Hinata. Naruto and Lee would have been too hyper, Kiba's charm is just – too roguish. Chouji … might have worked. But as for the rest of the guys, I think they try too hard to be human popsicles. And as charming as Neji can be, sometimes I just want to blast him with a flamethrower."

"Hinata would have gotten my vote for Snow White," Shikamaru said, steering the conversation away from his supposed 'cuteness' and her analysis of the guys' redeeming qualities.

"Mine too. But I think having this mix up would be more fun for both the audience and us."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement. He hated to admit it, but he was actually looking forward to seeing Neji as the evil queen and Sai as the mirror. Oh and of course there's the Shino business … and Sasuke's role …

_Simply put, I know a lot of people who are going to have a field day._

He let out a small chuckle. "Alright then. I'll give this a proper go. How should I go about this?"

"At this point … nothing. Just react normally for now."

"Uh – okay."

"Good. Now let's eat."

Tenten split her chopsticks then thanked the Teuchi-san for the meal. Twirling the pair of sticks through the bowl of miso ramen, she dug in quite happily, ignoring her practice buddy for the moment. Shikamaru looked at her in question, but it was clear that she was absorbed in enjoying her food. Feeling mildly dejected at being ignored – over a bowl of ramen no less! – he soon followed suit and dug into the meal himself.

Small conversation flowed in and out during their meal. Shikamaru was initially wary of her 'training' but was quickly puzzled by the lack of any discernable 'training schemes'. In fact, their conversation was nothing short of … normal. This confused Shikamaru as he had imagined Tenten to be the type to get straight into it. He was expecting questions and more embarrassing moments but all he really got was the odd personal question or two.

Soon he began to relax, the smiles he returned becoming more and more natural. They began to talk about the weirdest things like, "Who do you think would look the most attractive in a bikini – out of the guys?" – at which the young Nara promptly choked on a noodle.

She laughed outright before sliding a glass of water his way and thumping him hard on the back. "Oh come on, have you never really wondered?" She grinned at him impishly.

He threw her a glare.

She laughed again in reply.

"I mean, with Naruto's Sexy no jutsu and all, has it never really crossed your mind?"

Another glare.

"For real?"

Her widened eyes caught him off-guard.

"And you have?"

Tenten rolled her eyes, "Well duh. I'd never have asked you otherwise."

Shikamaru was a silent for a moment. "Do you mean that as in, if we were all using Naruto's jutsu, who would look best in a bikini?

"Yep."

"Who do you think?"

"How about you tell me what you think and I'll tell you what I think?"

Shikamaru opened his mouth to retort, but now that the question had been posed, he couldn't help but be intrigued.

After a moment's hesitation, he grudgingly replied. "Probably Kiba."

"Really?" she said in surprise, "I didn't expect that. Why do you think that?"

He shrugged, another faint blush spreading across his face.

_Because if any of the guys turned into a girl, Kiba would probably be the closest to looking like Tenten. Bastard._

"Come on, don't leave me hanging."

He sighed. "This is all hypothetical, alright?"

Tenten read between the lines and nodded at his silent plea of secrecy.

"Lee would look like a freakishly built, steroid enhanced, stick thin but muscular woman. I don't really find that attractive. Shino would probably be quite tall – and that in itself would be a turn off for me. Tall girls are great and all, but I'd rather be a good head taller than them. He'd also be really skinny and pale. Neji would probably be nicely built, but he'll be really pale. And since I can imagine him as Hinata if he were to turn female, then, I would have to honestly say that –uh – more than a handful is a bit of a waste." He flushed a bit more before continuing bravely, "Chouji … well, I am a typical male and I prefer girls with discernable curves …" he trailed off slightly but then left it at that. "Um. Sasuke will be pale and too skinny. Sai. Same as before. Naruto would have a nice tan admittedly and he does have decent curves – but his jutsu just makes me queasy. So I guess that leaves Kiba. My guess is that his built will be like his sister's and he'll be tan too. I think bikinis look better on people who're a bit more tan."

"I see." Tenten stroked her imaginary goatee, "So you like curvier brunettes with a bit of meat, who's shorter than you and tans well."

Shikamaru spluttered, his face going completely aflame.

"I'm surprised. I kinda pegged you for someone who's more into skinny blondes," Tenten added obliviously. "Then again, Naruto was the only example and I can understand why you'd be turned off."

"And you?" he said quickly, turning the question back to Tenten in the hopes that she doesn't read more into it.

She cocked her head to one side. "Well. I guess it's a toss up between Kiba, Neji or you."

His eyes widened.

Tenten continued happily, "I totally agree with you about Kiba. I think he'll be smoking hot as a girl – I mean, if you've ever seen Hana in a bikini then by Kami you'd probably die of blood loss! But I also think the whole long dark hair and pale skin thing is to die for. Not quite lifeless pale like Sai or Sasuke – and besides I don't like their hair – but pale with a bit of spunk like you and Neji. I haven't really seen enough of Shino to be able to imagine him well enough unfortunately. Anyhoo, Neji will probably be that tall, slender, large racked cold beauty and you'd probably turn into something similar, minus the large rack. And instead of cold beauty, you'd probably be more along the lines of 'I know I'm sexy but I don't care'."

The flush that he thought had died down spread right across his cheeks.

Tenten nodded her head, a glint in her eye speaking of mischief.

"So … who's this curvy tanned brunette that you seem to like?"

Shikamaru's already flushed face went inferno once again.

"Ah, I figured you wouldn't say anything." She shrugged calmly.

She quickly turned the conversation into something else entirely allowing the Nara's face to settle into something akin to its natural pigmentation.

"Hey Shikamaru?"

"Hm?"

"Who do you think has the best love-struck look out of us girls?"

The young Nara looked at her again in confusion.

"I'm sure you've seen at least Ino's or Sakura's." she said amusedly before proceeding to imitate their faces.

She quickly clasped her hands together and placed it by her cheek. With a glassy look in her eyes paired with a mock falsetto, she began. "Oh Sasuke-kun, you're so pretty! I love you so much! I want your babies!"

He couldn't help it. He laughed.

Tenten scratched her head while directing a sheepish smile at the young Nara, "To be honest, I'm not so sure if that was Ino or Sakura. I swear they were pretty much the same back when we were kids."

"Well, Ino did educate Sakura in the ways of wooing broody boys. It's not so surprising that their love-struck looks are similar," he chuckled.

"Too true. I guess we could always look at Hinata."

Tenten quickly pulled her head in towards her body, lifting her shoulders to help hide her face. Puling her imaginary sleeves to hide her hands, she adopted a look of awe and embarrassment.

She whispered in a tiny voice, "Oh Naruto-kun, you're so awesome I've decided to stalk you!" And then Tenten proceeded to mime crawling through a tunnel, sneakily hiding behind a post, hiding her face in plain site only to open her fingers to stealthily shift her eyes.

Shikamaru tried to stifle a laugh but only ended up releasing a snort.

"Geez you suck at copying Hinata," he said with a laugh.

Tenten lifted an eyebrow, "Well then why don't you show me how it's done Mr Genius."

"I think it's more like this." Shikamaru copied Tenten's initial posture then opened his eyes wide. He pretended smiling into his hands, looking in the corner of his eyes at the imaginary Naruto and then smiling at his hands again. "N-naruto-kun?" he said in an exaggerated whisper before hiding behind his hands and miming having fainted.

Tenten rocked in her seat in laughter. Wiping a tear off her eye she said, "No, no. Your smile is too normal. You need to look more coy!"

"Like this?" he said, fluttering his eyelashes slowly and limiting the widening of his smile so that they ended up looking more pursed.

Tenten shook her head, her face and body trembling with laughter, "Gosh no! Keep the eyes but make your mouth look more like this."

She then copied a near replica of a Hinata's smile.

"Like this?"

Shikamaru followed suit, keeping the eyes but changing the smile.

"That's it! You've got it!"

"N-naruto-kun?" he added as a final touch.

"Kami!" she laughed aloud, "that's brilliant. Now hold it and then think of Kiba in a sexy no jutsu wearing a bikini!"

Shikamaru's face was swiftly covered by a faint flush.

"You're sexy and you know it!"

His flush spread right across his cheeks.

"Curvy tanned brunette?"

Inferno.

"Perfect!" Tenten grinned, "Except for the fact that you dropped your smile. But otherwise, perfect!"

And then it clicked.

"We were practising?"

Tenten winked, "you didn't think I'd waste a second now, would you?"

He ran a hand through his hair, "Sneaky … that was sneaky …"

"We are shinobi you know," she grinned, "we get paid to be sneaky." And then she poked a tongue out.

"Besides, wasn't that fun?" she looked at him, her hazel eyes gleaming with mirth.

His lip twitched upwards, "Yeah. I guess that was."

"Yosh!" she grinned, fist pumped upwards. "Shall we get onto the next phase of training then?"

Grinning back, he replied, "Lead on Captain."

"Right. But first," she quickly dug out her wallet and paid for their meal, "thanks Teuchi-san!"

Shikamaru's eyebrows rose in surprise "W-wait! You can't just pay for my meal too!"

"I can. I will. And I just did … your highness. Now I told you already, for this whole day you're going to be my princess. Now what sort of Prince would I be if I made you pay for your own meal?"

"B-but …"

"No buts!"

A couple of elderlies to their right laughed. "Like an old married couple already I see," one of the women said with a smile.

"You think so?" Tenten asked with a smile.

The woman nodded her head.

Tenten turned her head to the Nara. "That's good to hear then don't you think Shikamaru? It's good to know we're on the right track especially since we're still in the courting stage. Just imagine what it'll be like when we do get married," Tenten said in good humour, nudging the young Nara jokingly.

Mouth mute, his only response was in the form of his cheeks turning to crimson.

"Red. It's a good look on you," she winked.

One of the older men shook his head. "Kids these days …" he muttered, "in my day, real men do the wooing. Next thing we know is that pets will be doing the courting."

"Oh shut up Taka. If I remember correctly, you wouldn't have even began courting me had I not told you to," his wife berated him. "So don't you go acting all high and mighty at those kids!"

The woman continued to lecture her husband who was slowly shrinking at every word.

"We probably should go now," Tenten whispered quietly, eyeing the distraction.

"Agreed," was Shikamaru's reply.

"Please look out for us in tomorrow's festival," Tenten said quietly to the elderly woman who spoke to them before quickly slipping her hand in Shikamaru's and dragging him in the direction of teahouse district.

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"Table for two please," Tenten chirped at the serving lady.

"Right this way Tenten-chan." The lady dipped her head politely then led the way.

Tugging at their still intertwined hands, Tenten indicated to Shikamaru to walk forward. He nodded in reply, not trusting his voice.

"Here we are. Please take a seat."

Tenten stepped behind him to pull up his chair. Shikamaru looked at the empty seat before sighing in resignation. He allowed Tenten to seat him in.

Amused looks passed their way from both servants and patrons.

The serving lady's voice provided a good distraction for his growing embarrassment, "Here are your menus. I will be back with a jug of water." Hiding half her face behind a spare menu, the serving lady bobbed briefly then shuffled away.

"She was laughing wasn't she?" he said in a sulk. "I've never felt so emasculated."

"There, there," Tenten said softly in an attempt to hide the bubbling laughter growing in her. "I'm sure this isn't that bad," she grinned.

His bottom lip jutted out in an unconscious pout as his eyes wandered around the small teahouse. He had to admit, he liked her choice. Teahouses with Ino and Chouji often meant going to one of those large, modern complexes that played more foreign music that anything else. Tea was fairly commercialised and the atmosphere just generally lacked authenticity. He would have preferred something smaller like this, but Ino usually gets the last word in anything they do.

The teahouse that Tenten brought him in was traditionally inclined. The shop was small and very cosy, the ambience warm and relaxing – the perfect place to take a nap really. He was glad there weren't many customers present, but even then, their presence still irked him.

He felt a set of small hands slide into his. "I really like this place since it never gets full. I figured it's a good place to practice for our play."

He gulped at the contact but followed Tenten's lead.

"Hey, don't be nervous. It's just me."

_And that's exactly why I'm nervous. _He thought to himself, but nodded outwardly at Tenten.

"Think of it as a date – I'm sure a familiar setting will calm your nerves. Don't even worry at this stage about being the girl." She smiled.

_Date? Familiar setting? Calm?_

He nodded his head, attempting to comply.

_Apparently, years of shinobi training meant very little on one's first date. _

He schooled his face into a smile – tried to anyway.

A worried look crossed Tenten's face, "Hey, uh, did you need to go use the bathroom?"

Shikamaru groaned inwardly. _Great! Now she thinks I'm constipated."_

"No, I'm fine."

Tenten's face didn't look convinced but she dropped the matter.

The sound of shuffling indicated the return of the serving lady. She poured them a glass of water each before asking if they were ready to order.

"My usual please." Tenten said with a smile.

"One Jasmine then. And you sir?"

"Uh. I'll have the same, thanks."

"Two Jasmine Teas."

She bobbed her head then left the two on their own again.

"So uh," Shikamaru began, "what now?"

"I thought we could try some small talk to practice your talking."

"Okay …"

"Think of this as a first date between Snow White and her devilishly handsome Prince. I want you to reply as if you were Snow White herself. Think cute, shy and sweet. Let's start with something easy." She cleared her throat and adopted a deeper voice, "What a beautiful creature you are young miss. May I please have the honour of knowing your name?"

"Uh, my name's Snow White?"

Tenten rolled her eyes, "You can do better than that! Have fun with it! Pretend! Think Hinata stalking Naruto."

The memory of their previous conversation brought a chuckle to escape from his lips. He took a took a deep breath, "P-Prince Charming-kun … t-thank you for the lovely compliment. Y-you may have the honour of knowing my name. It is Shiroyuki, Shiroyuki-hime." He fluttered his eyelashes as a final touch.

Keeping in character, Tenten graced him with a charming smile. "Snow White. Princess Snow White. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl." She lifted one of Shikamaru's hands and gave it a kiss. "Such soft hands you have."

The action caught the Nara off guard causing him to stiffen and burn a bright red.

"Now what brings a beautiful creature such as yourself to a quaint little town as ours?" she continued without missing a beat whilst gently caressing his hands in hers.

"I-I uh … I-I …" his brain froze, looping words incoherently as he struggled to mentally distance himself from Tenten's innocent ministrations.

"You mentioned that you like clouds, young princess?" Tenten coaxed gently, her teasing voice escaping the poor befuddled Nara's notice.

"Uh … I did?"

Tenten stopped her torture for a moment, holding his hands still instead to give him time to respond.

"Yes, yes you did."

"Oh, yes, well," he cleared his throat, "A-ano, I have been told that your lands offer s-some of the loveliest clouds in the sky and so I-I have come to take a look at them for myself."

"Ah yes, our most wonderful clouds. Nowhere else can you find such soft looking, pillowy wonders. And the shapes that they create? Masterpieces! Do you have any favourite shapes, hime-chan? May I call you hime-chan for short?" she flashed him a roguish grin.

He gulped, "Oh, I uh – I-I would be honoured."

"Excellent! In return you must call me P-kun. Now about those clouds?"

"P-kun?"

"Yes my little hime-chan?"

He flushed. Tenten was good. She was really good at this.

_It's hard enough to talk to her when she's being herself, but I can't even think when she's in her Prince Charming mode!_

"I-I … I think y-you may be a little bit t-too forward P-P-kun. M-my father – Kami bless his soul – w-would be m-mad at me for being so familiar with you."

A surprised look flashed through Tenten's eyes. She gently let go of his hands and kept it to her side.

_Oh great move there genius._

Tenten got up from her seat.

"W-wait –" he stuttered, this was not what he had thought would happen. He didn't think she would be offended enough to –

_Hang on a second. Is she kneeling?_

Tenten knelt beside the shell-shocked Nara. Hand in heart she stared into his eyes, "I must deeply apologise for being too forward, but your beauty hime-chan, has captivated me to act beyond good reason. It is no excuse I understand but I hope you may find it in your heart to forgive me."

_She's still in character?_

"Uh, Tenten –"

"Tenten? Who is this Tenten that you speak of?! If there is another man who is after your hand in marriage then I challenge them to a duel!" Her eyes were dark and charged, as she stood up, poised for battle.

By now the shop had stopped to stare at them. Tea forgotten, the room watched at their impromptu skit.

Then her eyes softened to something akin to defeat, "But if this man, this Tenten that you speak of, is the man that you love, then I cannot stand in between you two. My father has taught me well enough to value love, true love, above mortal desires. Tell me now my hime-chan. Tell me now that you love him more than I and I shall leave you alone. Upon my word, if thy decidest that I am not good enough for thee, then I will promise to never set my eyes upon thee. But I beseech thee that thou giveth me another chance." She knelt down again by is chair, hands clasping one of his forgotten hands, "Will thou allow me a chance to prove my love and devotion?"

The room became still. Not a single person moved, nor made a sound. Everyone was looking at him. Waiting in anticipation for what he would say.

He gulped.

"Y-yes?"

The room exploded into cheers. A round of applause surrounded them, with catcalls and whistles decorating the air.

Tenten had pulled him up, out of his seat sometime between his response and the clapping. Before he knew it, she had linked their hands and was pulling him down for a bow.

"Thank you, thank you!" Tented said cheerfully, waving to the small crowd. "I hope you all come and see us tomorrow night at the festival."

A multitude of 'Yesses" and 'Of course' greeted her back.

Shikamaru just stood there with a sheepish smile, unsure as to what he was expected to do. Fortunately for him, Tenten's natural presence had diverted the crowds' attention to her rather than to him. It took another few moments before the ambience settled to something more peaceful, and another few minutes before they finally got their tea.

"That's enough excitement for the shop don't you think hime-chan?" she teased.

"For the shop? For the day don't you think P-kun?" he retorted, eyebrow lifted in amusement.

She laughed, "Oh no. There's still a little bit more work to do."

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Shikamaru was still feeling a bit miffed at Tenten. Once again, she paid for both of them.

Hands shoved in his pockets, he sulked next to a cheerful Tenten.

"Oh come on, you can't be all that upset that I paid for our drinks?"

"And our lunch," he added dryly.

"That too I guess. But friends can buy each other food every now and again. You can't be _that _traditional now can you?"

A quiet murmur of _troublesome _was all that she got from him.

Tenten giggled. "I really didn't think you'd be the traditionalist type. Then again, the way you fought back in the chunin exams should have probably warned me of it."

"And you've known me for how long?" he said in a mutter, still sulking.

She clasped her hands behind her back, and tilted her head to one side to look at him.

"Well we never really hung out with just the two of us," Tenten shrugged, "it's hard to get to know anyone really if they're always part of a large group. I feel like today's the first time that I really got to know you."

_In other words, she barely really knew of my existence until today._

"If you were Naruto, he'd be stoked to get a free meal." She added.

"Well I'm not Naruto," he grumbled, "and I'd feel a lot better about this if you let us conform to the usual male and female roles. And if not that, at least let me pay for my own food. It's tough enough that I have to play a sissy female role, but with you being so good at your role, I'm starting to question my own masculinity."

Tenten was silent for a moment.

"I guess I just got really into it."

Shikamaru turned his head to look at Tenten.

"I haven't had that much fun in a while. Neji and Lee would never have let me get away with that much – those two are real fusspots when it comes to traditional male and female roles. Neji has never let me pay for his meal even on his damned birthday – he ends up paying for mine too. Lee always pays for his own food as well. I enjoy being treated as a girl like any other girl, but every now and again, I'd like to reverse those male and female roles so I can feel as if I can stand on equal ground with any guy. I guess I've just gotten used to that sort of behaviour because when we were kids, the other girls would always give me the male roles because I was tallest and least girly. I never thought of myself as a literal guy, but I'd always seen myself as someone equal to one."

She gave him a small smile.

"I keep forgetting that clan men are a really traditionalist bunch. So thank you for humouring me."

He combed a hand through his hair before scratching the back of his head. Cheeks slowly turning pink, he looked dead straight ahead and said quietly, "You're already more than equal to any other guy I know. You don't need to prove anything."

She laughed, "You're a good guy Shikamaru. You're a real good guy."

The pair turned around a corner only to be stopped by a tall imposing figure with teal-blue eyes.

"Mari?"

"Ten?"

A large smile graced Tenten's face as she stepped forward to hug the older kunoichi. The two kunoichis grinned at each other after stepping back.

"Good to see you again Temari. What brings you here?"

"You too Tenten, you haven't changed a bit. And as for why I'm here, we were told that there was going to be a festival on tomorrow so naturally Gaara, Kankuro and I came as Suna's representatives."

"Or in other words, Kankuro's found another excuse to go and visit Sakura," Tenten said wryly.

Temari rolled her eyes, "And that. Lucky for him Gaara was free and was pretty keen on catching up with Naruto and Lee."

"And to get away from the elders I presume?"

"And that. You know us too well by now."

"Well, you three do tend to visit my place when you're around. It helps that Gaara doesn't seem to mind my presence and that Kankuro doesn't find me attractive enough to hit on – thank Kami!" she sighed theatrically.

Temari laughed, "Yeah, I feel sorry for Sakura. Though really, I don't see what guys see in her. She's flat as a pancake and built like a cardboard."

"Hey, don't let her hear you say that. You know she's strong enough to send you to Suna in one hit."

"Assuming I let her hit me that is."

"That's true. Hey, so you're staying right till the end of the festival right?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well our group's performing a play at the end, you guys should definitely stay and watch."

"A play?"

"Yeah. We're doing Snow White."

"Snow White?" Temari looked at her incredulously, "And I'm guessing that the Yamanaka chick took that role right?"

Tenten shook her head. "We pulled the names out of a hat. So no."

"Who did you get?" Temari asked in genuine interest.

She laughed, "The Prince Charming."

"And did Neji get the role of Snow White?" Temari teased.

Tenten rolled her eyes, ignoring the jibe, "No. He got the Evil queen. Shikamaru got Snow White."

The subtle scratching sound of a sandal scuffing against the ground brought the two kunoichi's attention to the previously overlooked Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru."

"Temari," was the terse reply.

"Oh right!" Tenten's eyes widened, "I'm sorry I forgot about you there for a minute."

He shrugged, "I'll head towards the my team's training grounds and meet you there when you're done."

"Don't bother. We're finished here anyway." Temari then turned to Tenten, a knowing smirk on her lips, "I'll catch up with you later then Tenten. I look forward to seeing you and Sleeping Beauty there in tomorrow's festival."

"Actually he's Snow White … but, okay," she replied in confusion as Temari turned back in the direction she came from.

Shikamaru grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a clearing by his team's training grounds.

"Are you alright?" Tenten asked her silent companion.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye before nodding once.

"Hey, I uh – I thought you two weren't … didn't …" she scratched her head, "I swear I did not expect that tension."

Shikamaru blinked at her. "You didn't expect the tension?"

"Well, no. I've been friends with Temari all these years and I know that you two never dated despite what the rumours said so I didn't really expect there to be any tension. And besides, you're practically her guide when she's in town – I figured you two would be good friends," she said, eyes filled with honest confusion.

He pressed his lips in a thin line.

_Good. So she hasn't told her yet._

"Can we forget about her for now," he said slowly looking past her.

Tenten's eyes were on him but nodded in acquiescence.

"Should we keep practising then?"

Tenten lifted an eyebrow, "That bad huh?"

He looked away, hiding his slowly reddening face.

"Don't worry, I won't pry." She waved a hand casually, "But I will admit that I am curious."

"I'll tell you one day."

"I'll hold you to that," she said simply, smiling at him.

He returned her smile with a relieved twitch of his lips.

"So next." She held a closed fist by her mouth as she thought out loud, "Well. We've sorta covered facial expressions. I've been tweaking your actions since we set out for lunch. Your speech has improved dramatically during or teashop escapade. And I guess I've kept you on your toes already with regards to your touchy feely tolerance. I think you're pretty set actually."

"I am?"

"Well, yeah. What else do you think we need to work on?"

_Um, kissing?_

His face flushed at the thought.

And as if she read his mind, she said with a laugh, "Unless you want to practice the kissing scene?"

He burned a dark cherry red.

Tenten laughed. "Oh don't worry. I'll just kiss you on the cheek or something. You've been blushing all day and all we did was hold hands. I think an actual mouth to mouth contact would be too much for you."

"But wouldn't Ino get pissed off at us if we did it half-heartedly?" he blurted out.

_Good thinking genius!_

Tenten tilted her head to one side. "You have a good point."

_He smiled inwardly, patting himself in congratulations._

"But are you sure you're going to be alright? I'm happy to take the brunt of Ino's wrath. I don't want you do anything you don't want to do." She looked at him seriously.

He wanted to slap himself.

_This close! _

"I-It's fine. You're not forcing me into anything."

"If you say so."

Tenten took a step towards him.

"Do you want to lie down on the ground then?"

_Ground? Oh right. This is a practice for kissing Snow White NOT Shikamaru._

He sulked inside but nodded anyway before settling down on spot just below a large shady tree.

"Now close your eyes."

_This is it. Your dream come true._

He closed his eyes.

_Do I open my mouth? No wait; Snow White was sleeping so – mouth shut. What about teeth? Did I brush my teeth? No I didn't! My mouth still tastes like ramen and jasmine tea!_

While Shikamaru battled with his mind, Tenten watched him from the outside. His whole body was tense, from the clenched jaw, to his skittish fingers, down to his jumpy toes. All in all, he looked like a man terrified out of his wits and not a man wanting to be kissed.

She sighed quietly.

'_What a shame.'_

Slowly she knelt down, placing her arms one on each side of Shikamaru. With one last look, she lowered herself down.

He could feel her coming closer. He could feel her body radiating warmth like the sun and its gentle rays. Her breath felt soft on his face, a feathery caress on his skin. So close. She was so close.

He didn't dare open his eyes.

_Almost there._

And then he felt it. Her soft lips pressing against – the tip of his nose.

His eyes flew open.

Their eyes met.

"It's okay Shikamaru. You don't need to force yourself." She gave him a weak smile.

"I-I wasn't!" he spluttered.

"You're a really nice guy, but you really should stop getting bossed around by strong willed women. If you don't want to kiss anyone, you can tell Ino to shove it. And if your hesitance is due to Temari's presence, I understand. I promised I wouldn't pry so I won't. But don't ever force yourself to do something that you don't want."

"I-I –"

"Look," Tenten said in mild exasperation, "you don't need to tip toe around me. I'm a big girl. I can see that you're really tense about kissing me – and that's okay. Not everyone is comfortable kissing just any odd girl – and I admire that you tried to be a gentleman about it. But you're my friend first and foremost. And I won't have you lie to yourself. I value you more than that."

She dipped her head down and kissed him on his forehead.

"Thank you for today, I had a lot of fun. I'll see you tomorrow Shikamaru."

She picked herself off the ground, and then left him with a smile.

He watched her retreating figure. Watched as her image slowly melded into the shadows. Watched as she walked away – from him.

Digging blunt nails into his scalp as palms pressed hard against his temple, he slowly slid his hands down to hide his face.

_Idiot. _

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	7. Seven: Jigsaw

**Apologies for the delay. I'm thinking maybe just one more chapter to go? I'll have to have a think ... **

**Thanks for hanging in there! :)**

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**Title: **Shiroyuki Ouji

**Summary: **Shikamaru was a traditionalist. He believes in the idea of the man asking the woman out and not the other way around. He believes in chivalry and treating his woman like a queen. And he certainly does not appreciate being treated like a princess by the girl he is secretly crushing on. Even if it was only for a play.

**Genre: **Humor/Romance

**Disclaimer: **Ah yes ... you guys know the drill ...

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**Shiroyuki Ouji**

_Anthropomorphychan_

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_**Chapter Seven – Jigsaw**_

The next morning's practice turned out much better than the previous. Sakura's threats – not as empty as Naruto immediately discovered – quickly sobered down the lot. They went through each scene with relative speed, the focus – not so much on the character dynamics – but more on the technical. Lines were learnt to the letter, cues were sharp and precise. Not a step was in the wrong place, nor a word added. And despite certain people's inability to portray their character correctly due to a clash in personality, Ino's positive mood still did not wane. (She figured that sometimes close enough is good enough.)

Even with the new addition of two surprising characters and the added work of rewriting the script, Ino managed to keep most of her composure.

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"_Ino-san. I am glad to have found your youthful self so quickly."_

_The female Yamanaka paused in the middle of her directing to turn her head towards the speaker. Dressed in his traditional green spandex bodysuit, black hair gleaming like a well-polished upturned ceramic rice bowl, and teeth sparkling against a tanned face that spoke of joy, youth and the marvels of squirrels, Gai-sensei stood in the clearing grinning like a Cheshire cat on steroids. Next to him, Kakashi-sensei stood in a laidback manner, his single uncovered eye busy absorbing the contents of his trusty Icha-Icha novel. Momentarily ungluing his gaze away from his book, he let out a casual, "Yo", but the greeting acted as more of a formality than anything else._

_Ino unconsciously scrunched her eyebrows then shook her head. Quickly smoothing out her face, she exchanged her earlier look for an open face with a polite smile. _

"_Gai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei. What brings you to our practice session?"_

"_Ah yes!" Gai began with his usual exuberance, "The Hokage has informed us that a festival is to occur later today and that all shinobi must take part in it. As we have just arrived from the completion of a mission, we have not been assigned into a role. Tsunade-sama has told us that you are in charge of today's youthful event. My sources have told me that you are doing a play. By any chance, would you have any available roles or tasks for us to do?"_

"_I'd make an excellent tree," Kakashi said casually. _

"_As would I! And I bet I can be a better tree than you Kakashi! And if I cannot beat you at that then I shall run 1000 laps around Konoha on my fingers! No, make that 2000! With weights! Or maybe –"_

"_Uh let's not get too carried away Gai-sensei, I'm sure I can squeeze you two into something …" Ino interjected._

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All in all, Ino Yamanaka was pleased with the results despite a niggling feeling in the back of her mind warning her that something was amiss. But she pushed the thought aside. There were a lot more things worthy of her consternation – niggling feelings were not.

By the time they reached the last scene – where Snow White is supposed to be woken up by true love's first kiss – Ino was far too overjoyed at the 'perfection' she had managed to achieve in such a short amount of time that she missed the fact that the 'kiss', the climax of the play, the ultimate finale – was but a platonic peck on the nose.

A lack of fury emanating from a certain Hyuga should have warned her of that slight error, but alas, she didn't notice.

One will just have to put it down as oversight.

The only real flaw that almost sent Ino into a fit was the matter of the costumes. The head seamstress apparently assumed that some of the character assignments were mistakes – particularly the main characters' outfits – and so proceeded to create dresses in the female proportion and the prince's tunic in the men's. The beginnings of an angry aura immediately sent the poor woman into a nervous stutter. After a multitude of fitful apologies, some unusually quick but accurate measurements and a hasty goodbye, the seamstress assured a firmly held back (courtesy of Sakura) Ino Yamanaka that the outfits will most definitely be ready for the play.

Sad as it was (or deemed positively grievous in Ino's book), this minor setback – which Ino later suspects to be the culprit of a few grey hairs to be found on her otherwise perfectly blonde head – cheered up a good many of her crew, despite knowing that the relief will be brief. As experienced shinobis, they understood first hand to enjoy the brief joys in life while they can.

And so to the group's delight, the morning finished with very little fuss, thus resulting in an earlier parting. With the play not due until seven thirty that evening, they were free to enjoy the merriment of the festivities – which began at three in the afternoon – up until they have to meet up again at six thirty. With live bands playing throughout the night up until the play and stalls lining up the main streets of Konoha, the night was proving to be very promising.

Shikamaru hung back right after the practice, blending into the comforting cover of the shadows as he hid his hands in his beloved pockets and leant his back against the rough bark of his favourite cedar tree. He watched with seeming indifference as his friends disappeared in small groups of twos and threes, laughing and nudging each other while making plans for the rest of the day. He was waiting for a chance to talk to Tenten but before he could get to her, Neji bet him to it. A gentle pressure on Tenten's shoulder made her turn to the male Hyuga. Shikamaru couldn't hear what passed between the two but from the smile that bloomed in her face and the tinkling laughter she emitted, he could only assume the worst. A teasing nudge from Tenten caused a candid half smile half smirk to erupt from the Hyuga's face. The Nara clenched his fist.

_Stupid idiot. _

Arms close and swinging gently in synchrony, Neji and Tenten soon left the clearing, completely unaware of the Nara's jealous gaze.

He gritted his teeth, an uncharacteristic look of fury and resentment clouding his usually apathetic face.

"You blew it didn't you?"

Shikamaru remained mute, refusing to deign the speaker's existence.

"You can't ignore me forever Shikamaru."

He tilted his head back to look at the odd cloud that peeked through the gaps in the treetops, pointedly ignoring the newcomer's voice.

He heard the quiet hiss of a sigh being released as a shadow made itself known in the corner of his eye. The familiar sound patterns of a heeled sandal tapping impatiently on the dusty earth struck a chord with what was left of his restraint. He turned his head sharply to the left, eyes narrowing to glare at the trespasser.

"What do you want?" His voice was oddly sharp and terse – rare for the generally lazy and unflappable genius.

Teal blue eyes flashed at him, gleaming in dark humour. The tall blonde crossed her arms, distributing her weight to her left foot as she adjusted her bearing. The slight tilt in her posture cast a light to her impassive face, highlighting her sandy blonde locks, which were tied up in their usual four sections.

A tenseness filled the air as both stubborn individuals sized each other up. Temari was the first to break the silence.

"You know exactly what I want."

"You want what I want."

"Exactly."

He frowned.

"And you know I won't let you get what you want," he said, his words brimming with unconcealed threat.

She laughed at him, a terse biting sound that nipped at his growing discomfort.

"You say you won't," she began, "but that's hardly your choice is it?"

He scowled at her.

She gave him an amused look. "That brain of yours isn't going to be of much help without any guts. What a puppy. You're all bark and no bite."

"Shut up."

"I've shut up long enough. I made you a deal. I promised I wouldn't talk, wouldn't interfere until the next time I was in town. You've had all that time to make your move and you haven't yet. That's your loss. Now it's my turn. It's time she knew how I feel."

He pushed himself off the tree and turned to face her, a determined mask etched onto his face.

"I may have blown it the first time, but by no means am I giving up."

"I stayed quiet this whole time and you don't even have the decency to back off?" she said, her voice darkening by the minute.

"I'm in love with her." He said simply.

"So am I." Was her calm reply.

"Then we agree that all's fair in love and war?"

Temari smirked, "I've kept your secret, and you've kept mine. It's time she found out the truth."

He nodded once then left in a puff of smoke.

Temari's eyes lingered on the translucent wisps Shikamaru left in his wake.

'_I have no delusions over this matter. So if I can't have her, I will make sure that neither can you. She deserves better – far better. There's only one man I am willing to give her up to. And that man – is not you.'_

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Tenten frowned. It was fifteen past three in the afternoon but still no Neji in sight. It was unlikely that he forgot, as it was he who suggested that they went together to enjoy the festivities. However, it was highly likely that some clan thing came up and he was forced to hang back. A gentle breeze pushed a stray tendril of hair to flop onto her nose. She crossed her eyes to look at the strand before puffing her cheeks to blow it out of her face.

"How cute."

Tenten turned her head to see the Sand kunoichi with her arms crossed, slender figure casually leaning against an adjacent tree.

She grinned, "Mari. Good to see you again. Are you out with your brothers to check the stalls?"

"No and yes."

Tenten lifted an eyebrow.

"Gaara and Kankuro have gone to hang out with Lee and Naruto," she explained, "I'm not about to join that particular circus – no offence to your team mate. I think I've had my share of babysitting for the duration of this trip."

"Ah yes, Lee can be a handful – but add Naruto to that and I can almost guarantee that there will be mayhem. I can't blame you for skipping out on that one."

Temari left her tree to sit next to Tenten, "Are you here waiting for that other team mate of yours?"

The brunette smiled wryly, "Yeah. But I think he might have been held back. He's not usually late – unless there was an unexpected clan thing. In all the years I've known him, there have been three reasons why he's late. If it's not a clan thing, it's either because of a mission or fan girls are chasing him. The fan girls thing hasn't happened in almost six years and as far as I know, there aren't any missions being sent for a while. Going by that, I'm assuming it's a clan thing."

"So are you just going to sit there and wait for Prince Charming to pick you up?"

Tenten rolled her eyes, "Ha ha. I've told you before Mari, the Neji and I thing does not exist – it's just like the you and Shikamaru thing."

Teal eyes darkened for a moment before the blonde brushed it off with a smile.

But the action was not lost on Tenten.

"Or maybe – that's not the greatest analogy?" Brown eyes looked at teal in mild query – curious but not intrusive.

"That depends," Temari began slowly, testing a thought out in her mind, "is Neji gay?"

Brown eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh." Tenten blinked before a light bulb clicked in her head. "I guess it all makes sense now."

It was Temari's turn to look at her in surprise.

"W-wait, don't tell me Neji is actually gay?"

The younger kunoichi brushed the thought off with a wave of her hand.

"No, no. Well, not that I know of anyway," she trailed off slowly before returning to topic. "I was actually referring to Shikamaru."

The blonde bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a laugh – she wasn't actually intending for _that_ interpretation of her ambiguous question. But hey, she wasn't about to correct the girl now – not when the thought suits her just fine.

"So, what makes sense now?" Temari asked.

Tenten threw her a grin, "Well, you know how I told you he was Snow White for the play and I'm his Prince Charming?"

A four-pigtailed head nodded slowly, mindful of keeping a neutral expression, especially at the younger girl's use of _his. _

"We were practicing yesterday afternoon, for his role. He was really stiff at the start of the day but he's improved so much. For a lazy ass, he sure needs to learn how to properly relax. But anyway, he was really uncomfortable for most part – he's not a touchy feely guy is he?"

The other woman shrugged noncommittally.

Tenten continued, "I'm not sure if it's because it was me with him or maybe he's just not used to girls being up in his face. I guess it makes sense since we're not all that close really and he's quite the traditional gentleman."

The blonde almost snorted – almost.

"So after we saw you, we were going to practice the kissing scene."

Temari bristled, but Tenten was looking off at the distance.

"He was so nervous I wasn't sure whether to laugh at how sweet it was or be offended," the brunette giggled, "in the end I just kissed him on the nose. I guess it was a good idea I didn't just kiss him."

The relief in Temari's eyes was lost on Tenten.

"What a shame," Tenten mused to herself more than her companion, repeating the sentiments she had the previous afternoon, "I swear all the good guys are either taken or gay."

"Don't tell me you actually wanted to kiss him?" Temari said conspiratorially, though inside she was afraid at what she would hear.

Tenten's eyes glittered in mischief, "What would you say if I said yes."

The blonde was mute.

"Oh come on, have you never thought of him as cute?"

Temari gave her a look.

"Oh don't give me that. You're bi, not a lesbian. I know you enjoy both sides of the eye candy factory."

The statement caught Temari by surprise.

"W-wait. How did you know? How long have you known?"

Bright eyes looked at her in amusement. "Mari, give me a little credit. We've been friends for how long?"

"About five years …"

"Exactly. Do you think I haven't noticed you checking out our well endowed little Hinata-chan when we're all together in the hot springs?"

"What?!" Temari's usual cool was flooded away by the teasing accusation.

"I've also seen you stare at me in the same way Kiba used to – though you're certainly a lot more subtle. And of course, your little escapade with whats-his-face – tall, toothpick guy …. Ah yes, Genma-san – didn't escape me either."

A dark flush had spread all over Temari's face.

'_That's why she took my question that way … She knew … She knows.'_

"Anyhoo," Tenten waved her hand, "enough reminiscing of your flings and flirtations. Point is, I've known for a while that you bend both ways. And I seriously don't see why you've never thought of Shikamaru as attractive – even if just little bit. I mean, you did hit on Iruka-san a while back, and he kinda reminds me of Shikamaru. It still freaks me out though thinking about it since he was my teacher back in the Academy, although, I can kinda see the appeal. Are you sure you're not just in denial about Shikamaru?"

"Woah, for one, Iruka is nothing like that little nancy boy. He is a smoking hot piece of man meat and I will not have you compare him to Shikamaru."

Tenten let out a slow whistle in amusement.

"I am not in denial," Temari snapped.

"So what's with the tension between you two?"

Temari looked away.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me. You're entitled to your secrets," the younger kunoichi said, crossing her legs and then leaning back on both arms. "Besides, it's not like I've got anything to do with it." At this, she cocked her head to a side and grinned at Temari.

The said woman bit her lip but stayed silent.

Tenten's grin slowly morphed into a fine line, her casual demeanour slowly dissipating along with her smile. She leant forward, uncrossed her legs and then turned to look at her long-time friend.

Both women stayed quiet, the older one looking at the spot just below her companion's eyes, and the other, staring with the intensity of the finest Arabica beans.

Teal eyes blinked, breaking the tense atmosphere first.

With a soft sigh, she whispered, "I like brunettes."

"… you're … not kidding are you?" the younger woman began slowly, the pieces of the puzzle slowly forming in her astute mind.

A subtle shake of her blonde head was all Tenten needed to confirm everything.

"I see …" she let out gradually.

A hand gently placed itself on top of Tenten's, carefully testing the waters. She didn't return the touch – but neither did she shake it off.

"How long?" Brown eyes flicked over to stare at teal.

"Four years," was the honest reply.

"And how long have you two been …"

"Since the war."

A sigh left Tenten.

"Oh Mari," she began, "I …" She ran her unoccupied hand through her hair, stopping as her finger dug into her buns. Another sigh left her lips. Tilting her head to a side, she gave the woman a curious look.

Slowly, she turned her occupied hand, palm facing up then linked her fingers with the warm hand sitting above it.

Both women quietly looked at each other – and an understanding came to pass.

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End file.
